


Blushing, Baking, and Balconies

by wonpilsdimple



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3RACHA, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Changbin and Jisung are suspicious, M/M, Woojin just radiates warmth y'know?, he likes to bake and when he accidentally makes too much he gives it to his neighbors, it's really funny when Chan gets flustered
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-05-28 14:03:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15050741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonpilsdimple/pseuds/wonpilsdimple
Summary: Chan, Changbin, and Jisung find out they're getting new next-door neighbors, Kim Woojin and Kim Seungmin. The kids become fast friends, but Chan and Woojin keep having one endearingly awkward interaction after another.Alternatively, Woojin sings outside on his balcony sometimes, but he swears someone else is singing back.





	1. Chapter 1

Chan rushes into the apartment and slams the door shut, locking it behind him before he presses his back to it. His face is flushed and he's panting hard. Jisung, who was washing dishes, turns after being startled by the slammed door. 

"Hyung, did you go on a run? Do you need water?" Jisung says, putting the last plate away and rinsing his hands. He walks over to where Chan stands, face still a bright red but breathing normally. The younger man places a hand lightly on Chan's shoulder. Fortunately, he seems to react to that. 

Chan takes a deep breath and exhales, finally able to put words together into a coherent sentence. "We have a new neighbor. Next door, actually."

Jisung gives him a blank stare. "And that has you out of breath?"

He was still too mortified to say more, but when Changbin joined them in the hallway he knew dropping the subject was not an option. Not while Changbin gave him that curious, amused glance, anyway. 

"What's up with  _you_ , hyung?"

Jisung turned, equally amused. "Apparently, we have a new neighbor."

"So?" Changbin said, eyes squinted in suspicion. 

Chan sighs.

"Alright, here's what happened: I was coming up the stairs and I heard someone's footsteps behind me. No big deal, we were just trying to get to where we wanted to go. But remember the really nice old lady on the first floor?"

Changbin and Jisung nod.

"Well, she gave me a cup of water to thank me for holding the door for her while she brought in her groceries. I still had the cup when I was going up the stairs, and as fate would have it, I was about to open the door to the landing when someone else shoved it open. The door hit the hand that was holding the cup, but did the water splash on me?  _No, of course not,_ it splashed on the poor guy behind me. I turned to apologize when I saw he was wearing a white t-shirt. Or at least, it  _was_ white before the water made it translucent."

Chan hid his face in his hands, his cheeks turning pink again. "I know it was translucent because I accidentally stared at his abs before I actually looked at his face."

Jisung, being the nicer of the two, didn't outright laugh at his embarrassed hyung, as much as he wanted to. Changbin however, couldn't pass up the chance as he let out a snort. "Did you even apologize?"

"Yes!" Chan exclaims, dragging his hands down his face. "But he had really kind eyes and after I apologized he just smiled and said 'It's just water, it'll dry' and his voice sounded so warm and for some reason, I wanted to hug him," he rambled. 

Changbin grins. "Please tell me you hugged him."

Jisung elbows him, but Changbin is too caught up in formulating a plan to care.

"Of course not. After that, he said he left a few boxes in his car and went back down the stairs. I think I might have scared him off," Chan says dejectedly, his lower lip jutting out just the tiniest bit. 

Jisung throws an arm over Chan's shoulders and walks him over to the living room. He had been on his feet for a while so he was glad to have a chance to sit. That's what he told himself, although he really just wanted to interrogate his hyung. Changbin followed. 

"That doesn't necessarily mean he's our neighbor, he could just be visiting someone."

Chan shakes his head. "He definitely is. I ran up here and the apartment next to ours had its door open and stacks of boxes inside. Some tall, dark-haired guy asked someone else if 'Woojin-hyung' had come upstairs with the last boxes."

Changbin nods his head slowly, a smug grin plastered on his face. "Jisung, I think we should introduce ourselves."

The youngest looks at his hyungs with wide eyes and nods enthusiastically, a wide smile spreading across his soft cheeks. "Let's go right now!"

Chan crossed his arms and sat on the couch, huffing. "No."

Changbin checks himself out in a nearby mirror and fixes his hair. He pockets his phone, motioning Jisung toward the door. 

"You can stay here but we're going over. Later, hyung."

 Jisung gives Chan a half-pitying look and ruffles his hair. Chan glares. 

"We'll be back soon, but if we don't, I guess you'll just have to go next door to get us," Jisung says with a smirk. 

Chan sighs, putting his head in his hands. "Just get out of here already."

"Don't have to tell me twice. Let's go." Changbin tugs Jisung's sleeve and locks the door behind him. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

A thin red carpet in the apartment hallway muffles their steps. The door isn't too far away so Jisung keeps his voice low when he whispers, "I wonder how hot this guy's gotta be to get Chan-hyung flustered like that."

Changbin snickers and covers his smile before knocking on the door. They wait patiently, although there's laughter on the other side of the door so they know someone is definitely in there.

Jisung knocks this time, a little louder.

There's a faint "Oh shit" right before the door swings open and two tall guys appear, seemingly around the same age. The one holding the door has red hair that suits him really well, and he's wearing a light blue hoodie that makes his hair color stand out even more. He smiles kindly although he looks a little confused. 

The one behind him has raven-black hair and a tiny mole under one eye. He's undeniably beautiful. 

Both boys are, so it takes Changbin and Jisung a while to remember what they came for. 

Jisung clears his throat but Changbin beats him to it.  

"Hey, so, we're your neighbors. We just came by to introduce ourselves," he says, smile sheepish. "I'm Changbin and this is Jisung." He points next to him and Jisung gives them a small wave.

"Oh! Thank you, you're the first to greet us. I'm Seungmin and he's Hyunjin. Come in!" The boy with the red hair steps back to let them in, accidentally pinning Hyunjin between himself and the wall. Hyunjin lets out a grunt but wraps his arms around Seungmin instead of complaining. His blush wasn't obvious. At first.

Jisung and Changbin glance at each other but they follow the other two, anyway.

The carpet is a faded blue in this apartment. Large cardboard boxes line the hallway leading to the living room, and immediately they realize why they had heard laughing before they came in. There was a couch a few feet away from the television, and the slight buzz of the console's fan would have given them away if they hadn't seen Mario Kart on the screen. Hyunjin had won, apparently, his Luigi riding around the screen in triumph. 

Hyunjin tosses them a controller each. "You guys wanna play?" 

Changbin almost shook his head no, not wanting to impose, but Jisung shouted "Hell yeah!" and he knew he couldn't stop Jisung once he was that excited. 

Hyunjin laughs and sits on the sofa with his legs crossed while Seungmin sits on the floor beneath him, picking up a controller. Jisung settles on the couch and Changbin sits on the floor between his legs. 

"We're not even neighbors but don't think I'm going to go easy on you," Hyunjin says with a grin and locks onto Jisung with a mock glare. Jisung returns it with an equally competitive smirk.

"Wait, you don't live here?"

"No?"

Changbin rests his chin on his fist. "I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but who are you?"

Seungmin laughs out loud at that, and he's laughing so hard his eyes are squeezed shut. Hyunjin looks bewildered. 

The redhead takes a deep breath and begins, "He's my b-"

"Boyfriend?" Jisung fills in.

Seungmin splutters, his cheeks turning pink.

Changbin doesn't miss how Hyunjin's eyes light up.

"No, no, he's my best friend," Seungmin finishes. 

Changbin doesn't miss how Hyunjin's smile falters, either. 

There's a weird mood in the room, and Jisung must sense it since he changes the subject. "So are we starting this round or not, because I want to play as Peach before any of you snatch her."

Changbin snorts, "BRB."

Hyunjin cocks his head to the side. "Be right back? Where are you going?"

"No. Be ready, bitch," he cackles as he starts the game. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

They spend thirty minutes like that, laughing and throwing around dumb insults as if they had known each other for years. It was comfortable, and Jisung was almost glad Chan embarrassed himself that morning. Speaking of Chan...

"Hey, do you guys know a 'Woojin-hyung' by any chance?" Jisung asks after he won the last round. 

Seungmin turns to face him, a quizzical look on his face. "Yeah, that's my brother."

Changbin and Jisung let out a loud "Oh" at the same time. Seungmin would've found it funny if he wasn't so confused. 

"Our friend Chan met him this morning, which is how we found out you guys moved in."

Seungmin stared off, his eyes flitting about as he tried to remember what his brother had said. Or more accurately, what his brother  _didn't_ say since he came in a blushing mess and refused to explain. 

"What did your friend  _do_?"

Changbin and Jisung shared a look. "Uh..."

A pair of heavy footsteps coming from the kitchen distracted them. "Are you guys hungry yet? We can go to the ramyun place we saw on the way here- Oh! Hello!" Woojin stared at Changbin and Jisung before his face broke out into a bright smile. "Sorry I didn't hear you come in, I was in the shower." He pointed at the towel around his neck. 

"Holy shit" was the only thing Changbin could say before Jisung nudged him with his foot. They quickly stood up to greet Woojin properly. 

"I'm Changbin and this," he points next to him, "is Jisung. We popped in to introduce ourselves but stayed a little longer than we had planned to, sorry." 

Woojin was even more handsome up close, they noted. Tall, strong, and a really warm presence. Suddenly, they couldn't blame Chan anymore. 

"Don't apologize, you guys are welcome anytime. I hadn't heard Seungmin laugh like that in a long time."

Seungmin got up from the floor. If he was going to get a chance to ask Woojin what _really_ happened, it was now.

"They're Chan-hyung's friends," he said as he walked closer to them. 

"Who? I don't think I recognize that name."

Changbin crossed his arms. "You met him this morning. The guy on the stairs."

Woojin  _immediately_  blushed but tried to ignore it. "Guy in the black shirt, skinny jeans, brown hair, pale, dimples?"

Changbin grinned. "Exactly."

Seungmin glanced at Woojin curiously. "That was oddly specific."

Woojin shrugged, avoiding his eyes. 

"Anyway, he's really sorry he spilled water on you. He was still mortified when he went back to our apartment so he didn't come with us, but if you guys ever need anything we're right next door and we'll be glad to help," Jisung offered. 

Both Seungmin and Woojin tilted their heads to the side fondly, "Aw, thank you, we appreciate that." 

"Wait, hyung, if he only spilled water on you then why were you blushing so hard when you came back?" Seungmin prodded. 

Woojin stared past Seungmin at Hyunjin and called out to him, "Hyunjin, I bet you can't beat me on 200cc."

He joined the raven-haired boy on the couch, leaving Seungmin, Changbin, and Jisung to realize that their hyungs are probably more clueless than they initially thought. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woojin dishes the dirt on Seungmin's love life, but Changbin and Jisung find it a little ironic considering what's happening between him and Chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sniff new characters coming... I wonder who they are... you'll Know by the end of this chapter
> 
> (but really, thank you for reading, enjoy!!)

"We've been playing for an hour, can we go eat now?" Seungmin whines, placing the controller on the couch before standing up to stretch. 

Hyunjin giggles, leaning over to poke at Seungmin's stomach. "Are you sure you're not just mad because you haven't won a single race?"

Seungmin retaliates by tickling his neck. 

Woojin glances at his watch. It was early afternoon but they hadn't had lunch yet since they were busy moving boxes. He glances over at Changbin and Jisung who were looking at their phones, a smile creeping up their lips. _That's suspicious._

Changbin turns to face Woojin. "Woojin-hyung, we can-" 

Hyunjin's phone rings loudly, making everyone in the room jump at the sound. He smiles apologetically before answering and walking to the kitchen. Seungmin stares after him. 

"I know where we could all go eat ramyun. For cheap. It's on us, actually." Jisung offers. 

Woojin raises his eyebrows and waves him off. "No, we couldn't possibly- It's alright, we'll pay for our food but thank you for insisting." 

Hyunjin comes back from the kitchen with a pout on his face. "My mom's here to pick me up. See you guys later, it was really nice meeting you," he said to Changbin and Jisung. 

"Same here, man."

"Yeah!"

He smiles brightly.

Woojin stands and ruffles Hyunjin's hair. "Thanks for helping us with the boxes, Jinnie. We couldn't have done it without you. Well, maybe, but it would have taken longer," he says teasingly. 

Hyunjin snorts. "I should get going-"

"Wait! I'll walk you out," says Seungmin. Hyunjin nods, his ears turning pink. "I'll be right back, hyung."

The door opens and shuts, leaving Woojin gazing wistfully. He sighs.

"They're agonizing to watch, aren't they?"

Jisung tilts his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Changbin chuckles, "Did you not see Hyunjin's face when you asked if they were boyfriends? His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree." 

Woojin sits back down on the couch, resting his head on a cushion. "Hyunjin's a good kid. He won't do anything Seungmin isn't comfortable with, so that's why he hasn't said anything. I've been telling Seungmin to make a move for years now, but he always tells me they're just friends. Honestly, I just think he's convinced himself that his crush is unrequited to the point that he's blind to what's right in front of him." He frowns.

"So wait, they're always that touchy and clingy?"

Woojin nods before catching himself. "Well, kind of. Hyunjin is a naturally affectionate person so once he gets comfortable enough with you, you can expect surprise cuddles."

"Thank god, I'm tired of my hugs not being reciprocated because  _someone_ decides he's too busy," says Jisung, glaring at Changbin. 

Changbin scoffs. "You have Chan-hyung."

"Yeah, but he squishes my cheeks and I'm tired of it."

They both stared at Woojin, who laughed suddenly. _His eyes twinkle when he laughs_ , thought Jisung.  _This man will be the end of Chan-hyung._

"Have you ever tried poking his dimples?" Woojin says, expression gone soft.

Jisung shakes his head no. "Maybe you should, Woojin-hyung. I'm sure he'd let you." 

Woojin doesn't know how to react so he just settles on a shrug. 

"Jisungie, you weirdo," Changbin chides. 

The front door opens and Seungmin steps in, rubbing his stomach. "Please, hyung, help me."

Woojin frantically rushes to Seungmin's side. "Are you alright?" he asks, examining his face for any sign of injury. He shakes his head.

"I'm hungry."

Woojin drops his hands from Seungmin's face and steps back. "I'm disowning you. Jisung can be my new little brother, now," he says as he throws an arm across Jisung's shoulders. 

Changbin clears his throat. "Not to get in the middle of all your family drama but we should go eat."

"Finally! I'll turn off the console and we can go. Thanks, Changbin-hyung." 

"No problem, the place is really close by."

After Seungmin returns from turning off the T.V. Woojin grabs his keys and locks the door behind him. 

 

 

* * *

 

  

"Your apartment?" Seungmin and Woojin ask in unison.

Jisung grins as he leads them in.

"Hyung, we brought guests! Don't do anything too weird, please. They're nice."

Jisung's words were said in vain since Chan hadn't heard him and sang "Welcome to Chan's Kitchen!"

Seungmin snickered.

Chan whipped around to see all four of them standing in the doorway. He was still wearing the black t-shirt but had the sleeves rolled up and wore an orange Dragon Ball Z apron over it. He looked like a little kid that had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"Ah, sorry, Jisung and Changbin texted me saying they were on their way back but- Anyway, I'm Chan, nice to meet you," he rambled, a rather sheepish smile on his face. 

It had only been a few hours since they had last seen each other but Woojin was glad to see him again. "My name is Woojin and this is my brother, Seungmin. Sorry about this, they didn't say we were coming  _here_ for ramyun," he said, pointing at Jisung and Changbin. 

Chan looked at the pair and sighed in defeat. "It's alright. There's more than enough food for everyone, so don't worry! I'm really glad you're here."

Changbin nods, turning to face the two brothers. "Chan-hyung always makes a lot of food, anyway. If anything, you just saved us from eating ramyun for the next two days."

Jisung elbows him and gets his cheek pinched in return. 

Woojin grins at Chan, walking over to the sink to wash his hands. "I'll help you set the table, then. It's the least I could do. Are the bowls in this cabinet?"

Chan nods, stirring a ladle in the steaming pot. "Yeah, you'll find them there. I just hope we have enough chopsticks." 

"I found enough, I think we're all set."

While their hyungs filled their bowls, the other two showed Seungmin around their apartment. 

"'This room full of manga and anime posters is Chan-hyung's. He doesn't mind if we go in, but we just can't touch his laptop without asking."

Seungmin raises his eyebrows and Jisung panics. 

"No, not for the reason you're thinking of. He's kind of a music producer and he has a lot of his work on there, so..."

"Oh," hums Seungmin. 

"Jisung, are you  _trying_ to give him the worst impression of Chan-hyung, or what?"

"Sorry."

Seungmin laughs, shaking his head. "My brother is the same. He has a display case full of Goku figurines, so I know what it's like." 

They stare at him, wide-eyed.

Jisung sighs dramatically, "Wow, even the most perfect man has flaws, it seems." 

"He's far from perfect," Seungmin scoffs. "I cook more often than he does for a reason. He really likes baking, though." 

Changbin leads them to his and Jisung's shared room. The division was almost clear: One bed had black bedsheets and a single Munchlax plushie sitting on the pillow, and the other bed had a soft blue comforter with a few clothes tossed haphazardly on it. Pairs of shoes lined the floor on a far wall, and an array of pens and pencils littered the only desk in the room. On the desk was another computer, and next to it a stack of used, dog-eared notebooks. 

"You guys like to write, huh?" says Seungmin, staring at the old wooden desk. 

Jisung scratches the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "Yeah, we write songs with Chan-hyung and help produce, sometimes."

Seungmin's eyes light up. "Do you guys sing, too?"

Changbin smiles, nonchalantly picking at the fuzz on his white sweater. "I rap more than I sing but we're all pretty well-rounded." 

"That's seriously cool. I guess I have cool neighbors, then."

Changbin snorts, "Does that make up for Chan-hyung's nerdiness?"

"Wait, Seungmin, you said you sing too?" Jisung interrupts.

The redhead nods. "Hyung and I sing every now and then." He was about to sit on a bed when he heard Woojin-hyung calling them over to the dinner table. 

Jisung grabs his wrist, leading him into the hallway. "Come on, Seungminnie, let's get you some food."

 

 

* * *

 

  

Dinner was quiet and uneventful. Or at least, that's what Chan had hoped for, but the youngest three had other plans. 

"Woojin-hyung, I saw a guitar case when we were at your apartment earlier. Do you play?" Jisung asked between slurps of noodles. Changbin stared in disgust, pointing at the broth on Jisung's chin before tossing him a napkin. 

Woojin wiped his mouth before replying. "I do, there's a keyboard piano too but I think Hyunjin had already set it up in my room." 

Chan looked up from his bowl. "Hyunjin? Was that the pretty guy with the dark hair?"

The rest of them nodded. 

"He's not the only pretty guy with dark hair here but yeah, he helped us move since he's a close friend," Woojin said, glancing at a certain Australian before standing up to wash his bowl. 

It took everything in Chan not to choke. 

Seungmin, however, had made the mistake of spooning broth into his mouth at that moment and it had gone down the wrong pipe. 

Changbin softly patted his back as he coughed.

"Why are they like this?" he whispered, voice ragged. Changbin shrugged.

"He was talking about me, obviously. Right, Woojin-hyung?" argued Jisung. He was doing this out of compassion. A little more and he knew Chan would combust. 

"Sure, Jisung, but Chan made this amazing ramyun so he's my favorite neighbor right now."

Chan laughed softly. "I think Woojin is my favorite neighbor, too. Seungmin, I'll trade you these two fools for your brother." 

"DEAL," shouted Seungmin, startling the other two next to him.

Woojin gave him a hurt look.

"Don't make that face at me, you made me witness your flirting, hyung. That is punishment enough." 

Jisung laughed so hard he broke into tears, noiseless while the rest just stared in shock. 

Chan rubbed Jisung's back. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head no. "Alexa- Alexa, play Allstar," he managed between wheezes.

"We don't even  _have_ Alexa, you clown."

Woojin was doubled-over in laughter, tears pricking at his eyes. He had to lean on the counter to support himself. 

Chan looked up at him, thinking that was the  _cutest_ laugh he'd heard, and considering he had been living with Jisung and Changbin, was saying something. He couldn't help but smile as he stood up to clear the table. 

"Hyung?"

Changbin, Chan, and Woojin looked at Seungmin simultaneously. "Yes?"

"Oh, sorry, I meant Woojin-hyung," he mumbled. "I think we should at least set up our beds; I don't really want to sleep on the floor today."

Woojin nodded. "You're right, but let me just finish washing these dishes."

Chan placed a hand on Woojin's as he reached for the sponge. "No, Woojin. I've got it."

Woojin was close enough that he could see Chan had  _two_ dimples, the one on his right cheek was just deeper and more visible from far away. He sighed. "Alright, but really, thank you for the food, Chan. I'm glad we came."

Chan grinned. "Anytime."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Listen, I know I was the one that said we needed groceries, but that didn't mean I wanted to carry all of them," Changbin grunted as they rode the elevator to the third floor. Chan usually made them take the stairs for the sake of "being healthy" but one deadly glare from Changbin and he decided he wanted to stay on good terms for the day. The bags were heavy since they hadn't gone grocery shopping in a while, and Chan had bought an alarming amount of fruit.

 _Who was he trying to impress?_ Changbin thought.

_Oh._

He was still lost in his thoughts and stepped out of the elevator doors before he heard someone yell "Watch out!"

The warning came a little too late as someone barreled into him, nearly knocking him to the ground. Changbin dropped his bags and held his head. He winced in pain. Jisung and Chan rushed to help the person who crashed into him, and Changbin thought the already shitty day had somehow become even shittier. He huffed. "Hey, what the hell-" 

He stopped when he saw Chan and Jisung help the other guy stand up.  _Oh damn_ , Changbin thought eloquently. The boy was about his age, if not a little younger, and he wore a navy blue beanie over his dark brown hair. But what caught his eye wasn't his clothes, it was the pale freckles scattered all over his delicate face. The boy suddenly bowed before him, apologizing profusely. 

"I'm so, so sorry I ran into you, I didn't mean to but I couldn't figure out how to stop," he said, pointing to the Heelys on his feet.

Jisung gasped. "Heelys?"

"They still make those?" asked Chan, a pleasantly surprised look on his face. 

He nodded enthusiastically, "I know, right? I wanted to try them out so I was on my way to the park with my brother. He said I shouldn't use them indoors."

Changbin cleared his throat. He wasn't sure if he could trust his voice. Not in front of the boy, at least. "All you have to do is lean forward to stop." 

The boy looked directly at Changbin and he felt his cheeks grow warm. "Thanks. I really am sorry." 

Changbin shrugged. "It's alright, I'm not hurt."

He smiled wide. "I'm glad."

Jisung and Chan watched their interaction go back and forth like a ball on a tennis court, except both sides were losing when they were blushing like  _that._

Chan tapped his shoulder and pointed at someone in the distance, "Is that your brother?"

The person in question was walking briskly down the hallway, gaze dead set on his younger brother. "Lee Felix, you better have a good excuse for running off," he shouted.  

"Oh shit, hide me," said Felix, ducking behind Changbin. 

Jisung looked concerned. "What's he going to do to you?"

"Probably tickle me until I cry," he sighed. 

Changbin giggled, sidestepping so Felix's brother could see him clearly. He wasn't too far away, now.

Felix stood defeated, pouting at Changbin. "I trusted you."

"Well, you  _did_ run into me." 

"Fair point." 

Minho caught up to them. "Sorry, I hope he didn't cause you any trouble. Felix manages to do that everywhere he goes."

"That's not true," Felix objected.

"You made a woman swerve off her bike because she was staring at you."

He crossed his arms. "Not my fault." 

Jisung was staring, but not at Felix. "Does the landlord only rent to pretty people or something?"

Suddenly four pairs of eyes stared at him.

Chan peered at him curiously. "Jisung, what?"

"Did I say that out loud?"

They all nodded back at him. 

"Uh," Jisung stuttered and a strange laugh filled the hallway.

Minho tossed his head back as he laughed, and it was loud and dorky and  _endearing_. Jisung felt his heart stutter, too. 

He shook his head, still laughing. "You're funny. Jisung, right?"

Jisung attempted to direct the attention away from himself. "Yeah, this is Chan-hyung and that's Changbin-hyung." They waved. 

Minho acknowledged them and placed a hand on Felix's shoulder. "I should get him to the park before it gets too dark out. I'll see you guys around, then."

They all said their goodbyes and the two brothers walked away. Chan and Jisung went to pick up the bags they left on the floor, but Changbin still stood to watch the two brothers leave. 

"Felix!" he called out. 

The brunette looked over his shoulder. 

"Good luck!" 

Felix shook his head and kept walking, but Changbin swears he saw him smile. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a kudos if you liked it please ~ 
> 
> (I think that Alexa line is going to age poorly but I did it for the meme, okay)
> 
> Thank you for all your lovely comments, they inspire me to write faster!! 
> 
> (I'm taking suggestions so if there's a really funny situation you'd want to see them in... c; lemme know)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan visits the Kims' apartment and happens to meet a certain beret-wearing cutie (who loves annoying Seungmin) on the way. There's an impromptu movie night, someone is lovesick, and Chan realizes he loves the sound of rain and guitars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! and to those that are reading this fic for the first time, welcome!!! :D
> 
> This picks up right where we left off last time, so just to recap: 3racha finally met Minho and Felix.  
> And they are s m i t t e n. 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter~

Something was off and Chan could tell as soon as Jisung started helping them put the groceries away. He loved tossing things into the shopping basket but wasn't too fond of helping his hyungs organize them in the kitchen. Yet, here he was.

Jisung hummed a song to himself as he stacked water bottles in the fridge. When he finished, he backed up enough to close the refrigerator door and was met with Chan's catlike smirk. He yelped.

"What's got you in a good mood, Sungie? Was it Minho?" Chan said, waggling his eyebrows. 

Jisung rolled his eyes, pushing past Chan to put the cereal away. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm always like this." 

"I don't know, Jisung," he hummed, "It takes a lot to get you flustered. And you definitely were." 

"If anything, it was really funny to see Changbin-hyung turn that red." 

Chan laughed, taking the cereal from Jisung's hands to put it in the cupboard. "Both of you were a mess. They seemed nice, though."

Changbin entered at that moment, holding one of the bags they had left outside. He sighed, "That guy really busted my nuts."

"Changbin, what the actual-"

He held up a small pouch. "The pistachios I bought at the store." He looked at them curiously. "What else could I mean?"

The youngest opened his mouth and Chan clamped a hand over it to stop him. "Don't." 

Jisung tried to bite his hand and hit his teeth on the rings around Chan's fingers. He groaned.

Changbin wheezed. "I don't know what just happened but you probably deserved it." 

Chan rubbed Jisung's arm in apology and turned around to wipe the table. "Anyway, I just think it's funny that you're crushing on your neighbors."

 _Oh, you're one to talk,_ thought Changbin. He snuck behind Chan quietly and whispered into his ear. "What about Woojin-hyung?" 

Chan curled into himself, rubbing his neck. He had walked into that without noticing. _They really aren't going to drop the subject, are they?_ he thought. He knew they were neighbors, but they hardly knew each other. 

"I think you should check on the laundry we left in the washing machine."

Jisung headbutted his arm. "Stop changing the subject, hyung." 

"I'm not-" The ringing of a doorbell stopped Chan in his tracks. Changbin went over to answer it.

A boy about Jisung's age stood there awkwardly. He had black hair under a beret that matched the rest of his plaid outfit. He was awfully adorable. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but is Seungmin here? He gave me his address but I think I got the apartment number mixed up." 

Changbin grinned and had to physically restrain himself from hugging the poor kid. "He lives next door, actually, but it's alright. What's your name?"

Jisung practically skipped to the door, radiating excitement. "You're one of Seungmin's friends?" 

"I'm Jeongin, and yes?" the boy said, taking a step back. Chan pulled Jisung back a bit, "Don't scare him."

Jeongin looked at the three of them, thinking they were an odd bunch. The one who opened the door was intimidating before he smiled, and the one practically bouncing with excitement made him feel like was going to be cuddled against his will. It reminds him of Hyunjin. Maybe a little  _too_ much.

He shuddered. 

"I think I'll go now."

Chan pushed past the other two. "Wait, I'll walk you over." 

Jeongin squinted at him. "I can see the door  _right there_ -" he stopped when he saw the pout on his face and reluctantly gave in, "But if you insist..." 

Chan smiled brightly. "Follow me, then."

 

 

* * *

 

  

Jeongin knocked on the door impatiently. "Really, who gives someone their address and forgets to check in with them later?"

Chan stared blankly at the door. "Apparently, Seungmin."

Jeongin knocked again but this time Woojin opened the door, his face breaking out into a fond smile when he saw the boy before him. 

"Jeongin, you're here! Oh- Chan! You know him?" he asked, directing his gaze at Chan. 

They both shook their heads. "He got lost."

Jeongin glared at nothing in particular, trying to peer over Woojin's shoulder. "Where is Seungmin, anyway? I need to tell him he's a terrible host." 

Woojin laughed softly and stood aside to let him in. "Don't hurt yourself."

He grinned, darting toward Seungmin's room. After a few seconds, the two of them could hear Seungmin pleading, "Put the pillow down!"

They chuckled in the doorway. 

"Chan, you should come in if you're not busy; I wasn't doing much but I wanted to show you something," Woojin said sheepishly. 

Chan hesitated. On one hand, he could still see Jisung and Changbin looking at him expectantly from their apartment, so he knew there would be an impending discussion later. But on the other hand, Chan could smell coffee brewing nearby and Woojin radiated warmth. He realized there was an obvious choice and waved goodbye at the other two, accepting Woojin’s invitation.

"Sure! I wasn't busy. I'll stay for a while, then." 

Chan walked into the kitchen and sat on a nearby stool, taking in his surroundings. The layout seemed very similar to their own apartment, but the way Seungmin and Woojin decorated the space gave it a completely different feeling. Chan could tell they were meticulous individuals; everything was clean and orderly. Not to say that his own apartment was dirty, but polishing wood wasn't exactly high on Chan's list of priorities when he ran on five hours of sleep. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. 

"Here, I just brewed some," Woojin said as he handed Chan a steaming mug. "Rough night?"

Chan took it graciously, dimples showing as he smiled. "Thanks, Woojin. Yeah, I was working late last night." He blew on the coffee before taking a small sip, his eyes widening immediately. 

Woojin gasped, "Oh crap, I'm sorry, I should have asked you how you like your coffee before I gave it to you." He walked towards him, hand outstretched. "I'll take that and make you another one."

Chan clutched the mug to his chest. "No, I like it," he giggled. "I was just surprised because I usually take it black, but this is really good. It isn't too sweet, and there's a taste I can't place. There's cinnamon in it for sure, but..." he trailed off, looking up at Woojin. 

"Oh, well, I'm glad you like it, it's-" 

"Soymilk," Seungmin finished for him, walking into the kitchen carrying Jeongin on his back. He waved. 

Seungmin shrugged him off his back, grunting. "Jeez, Jeongin, what are they feeding you?" 

Jeongin pouted. "I'm a growing boy, leave me alone."

Chan snorted, sipping the rest of his coffee. Seungmin eyed him, "You're not allergic to soymilk, are you?"

He shook his head. 

"Then why is your face so red?"

Chan started coughing and Jeongin smacked Seungmin on the arm. "You can't just  _say_ that." 

Woojin glared at his brother and carefully took Chan by the arm, leading him away from the other two. "Here's what I wanted to show you."

He pointed to a tall, glass display case holding anime figurines of different sizes. The main attraction was Goku in his Super Saiyan form, which stood well over a foot tall. Chan stared in awe. "I think I have the same one in my room." 

Woojin laughed. "I just remember seeing your apron." He looked away, his eyes catching the DVD cases scattered all over the small table in the living room. "Ah, I probably should have cleaned before I invited you in. Hyunjin brought these last night. Half of them are horror movies, though." A chill ran down his spine. "I can't watch those by myself." 

Chan glanced over, looking through all of the movies.  "They're not my favorite, but I can sit through one. Jisung and Changbin put them on pretty often, though Jisung will pick an emotional movie given the chance." One of the boxes stood out to him and he picked it up. "I think he told me to watch this one, it's called 'Your Name.' I'm not sure if he said it was scary or sad." 

Woojin hummed, looking at the cover. "Oh, I didn't know Hyunjin brought this one. It's definitely emotional though, I've seen the trailer for it." He bit his lip. "Do you want to watch it? We can ask the kids if they want to watch it too." 

Chan thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll watch it, but I'd rather limit it to just one person seeing me cry today." 

Woojin nodded, turning around to put the movie on. Jeongin padded over to the living room with Seungmin close behind him, both holding ice cream cones. 

"Which movie are you going to watch?" asked Jeongin. Chan pointed at the DVD case and the younger boy sighed. "I'm not in the mood to cry. I'm going to Seungmin's room."

Seungmin raised his eyebrows once he glanced at the television screen. "I'll go get the tissues." 

Woojin and Chan look at them simultaneously. "Is it really that bad?"

"It's just that  _good_ ," said Jeongin. "Anyway, feel free to not hug me when it's over. Everyone always gets really touchy when they finish it." He glared accusingly at Seungmin. "I've watched it twice. The first time was at Hyunjin-hyung's house and he fell asleep while cuddling me. I couldn't get up and I really had to go to the bathroom."  

Seungmin glared back, "Why are you looking at me like it's my fault?"

"Just make it official already, Seungminnie."

Woojin laughed awkwardly, guiding the two boys out of the room. "The movie's starting so Chan and I need some quiet, thank you." 

He looked back at Chan, "I'll be back with some blankets."

 

 

* * *

 

  

An hour and fifty-two minutes later, Woojin and Chan were still sitting on the couch, dazed. It was dark outside now, and the only light in the room was the dim glow of the credits rolling on the screen. 

Chan wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. "Seungmin wasn't kidding about the tissues." His phone buzzed suddenly, showing six missed messages from Changbin. He scrolled through them before sighing. "I can't believe he's lovesick already." 

Woojin stared at him, curious. "Who's lovesick?"

"Jisung. Changbin texted me saying 'Jisung is writing songs about the freckled boy's brother.'" 

Woojin stiffened next to him. "Lee Minho?" 

"Yeah, how did you know?" 

He chuckled, "There's not a lot of people with freckles here, Chan. Besides, I've known them for a while. I taught Felix how to play the piano." 

Chan hummed. "We just met them earlier today."

A strange look clouded Woojin's face. "Was that the crash I heard in the morning?"

"Let's just say Felix left quite the impression on Changbin."

Woojin still looked confused.

"No, literally. I picked him up after he crashed into Changbin." 

He slapped a hand over his own face. "I specifically told Seungmin it was a bad idea to buy those shoes for Felix. I'm 85% sure he did it on purpose, knowing Felix is so reckless." 

"The last prank I've seen like that was a shock pen that Changbin bought for Jisung a few years ago. Jisung still only writes with pencils if he can." 

Chan's phone buzzed again. He stood up slowly, his back sore from sitting for so long. He felt his face was a little stiff where the tears had dried.

It had been a beautiful movie, really, but the ending hadn't given him the closure he needed. He cleared his throat. "Woojin, do you think they'll get their happy ending?"

Woojin thought for a moment. "They left it pretty open to interpretation."

"Yes, but do _you_ think they'll get their happy ending?"

"Of course." Woojin smiled warmly. 

 

 

* * *

 

  

By the time Chan got back to his apartment, Jisung was already asleep. He found him slumped over his desk, his drool about to wet the pages of the notebook under his cheek. Chan shook his shoulder gently.

"Jisung, your bed is right there. Come on," he whispered.

Jisung groaned, covering his face with his arm. 

"Jisung, please." 

He grunted in return. 

"You leave me no choice, Sungie." Chan pulled him back enough to tuck his arms under Jisung's legs and torso and carried him to his bed. He tucked the soft blue comforter around the sleeping boy and stepped back to see him curl into himself. 

Changbin came up behind him and held Chan in a back hug, which he leaned into. "Goodnight, hyung," said Changbin's raspy voice. He must have been napping on the couch before he entered the room.  

Chan ruffled his black hair. "G'night, Binnie Binnie Changbinnie." He must have been too tired to complain because he giggled and fell face-first on his bed, clutching his Munchlax. He was snoring softly within seconds. Chan shook his head and closed their door, proceeding to turn the rest of the lights off. 

He was finally alone in his room.  

Chan felt a little lonely. 

He decided to keep editing the track he was working on the night before, just to avoid tossing and turning for a few hours like he always did. He put on his headphones and worked on it for a while.

He got distracted around two in the morning when he heard a strange sound coming from outside his headphones. He walked around the apartment to double-check, but the lights were off and everyone else was still asleep. 

He noticed it got louder as he got closer to his room. Chan took the headphones off completely and realized it was actually music, but it could only be coming from one place, at this point. He pushed aside a big, heavy curtain that covered the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony.

Changbin and Jisung didn't know about the balcony, as Chan didn't tell them and neither had thought to ask about the curtain in his room, anyway. 

He quietly slid the doors open without so much as a single squeak, and he was met with fresh air and warm, misty rain. The balcony above his own provided enough cover from the rain that he could stand outside without getting wet, which he was grateful for. He heard the music return, although this time it was perfectly clear aside from the light rain. And it came from the balcony next to his.

There was a large, leafy potted plant on his balcony, which he didn't remember leaving there, but he ducked behind it to get a good look at who was on the other side.

Woojin sat on a stool, playing his guitar almost effortlessly. His face was dimly lit by the moon and its intermittent clouds, and while the moonlight made his cheekbones and jawline look sharper, it gave his presence a soft, otherworldly glow.

It was mesmerizing. 

The chords he played sounded familiar, but he didn't realize what song it was until Woojin began to sing,

" _Please don't see just a boy caught up in dreams and fantasies_

_Please see me reaching out for someone I can't see_

_Take my hand, let's see where we wake up tomorrow_

_Best laid plans sometimes are just a one night stand_

_I'd be damned, Cupid's demanding back his arrow_

_So let's get drunk on our tears and-_ "

Chan hadn't sung in a long time, and he could go on and on about Woojin's voice but he felt he couldn't let this moment slip by him.

 _Screw it._  It was late, he knew the words, and he probably wouldn't remember it the next morning, so he sang along. 

_"God, tell us the reason youth is wasted on the young_

_It's hunting season and the lambs are on the run_

_Searching for meaning_

_But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?"_

Chan held his breath when Woojin stopped playing, fearing he had gotten caught. 

Woojin chuckled into the night air, sighing dreamily. "Sorry I stopped playing, I only knew the words up to there."

Chan didn't dare say a word, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"You have a beautiful voice, by the way. I couldn't hear where it came from because of the rain and the guitar and the sound bounces off the other buildings anyway." He peered around, looking at the balconies around him. "There's no one nearby, though. Wait, oh my god, did I imagine that? Was that the moon? Did the moon sing back to me?" Woojin leaned over the railing, looking directly at the moon. 

Chan felt his heart hiccup, or maybe it was his anxiety over almost getting caught, but there was no mistaking the feeling he knew was there. 

He could hear Seungmin's faint "Hyung, go to sleep" before Woojin picked up his guitar and moved the stool back to where it was. Right before he slid the door shut, though, he murmured, "To whoever just sang with me, I hope you have a good night, too." 

Chan waited until Woojin's light was off before he went back into his own room, exhaling as if he'd been underwater and had finally reached the top of a pool after diving headfirst. He shut off his computer and placed it on his nightstand, then burrowed himself between his blankets and rolled onto his side. The last thing he remembered seeing was the moon casting shadows on the balcony before his eyelids drooped. Quickly, miraculously, he fell asleep. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Sunday I finally watched the whole SK reality show in one sitting and I was so emotional oh my god :') so because of that I wanted to (or needed to, really) make this chapter as soft and cute as possible to heal my heart. 
> 
> ~
> 
> any questions, suggestions, just want to scream about how much you love Stray Kids? my twitter is @ wonpilsdimple <3
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making plans, eating eggs, and asking questions that don't have answers. 
> 
> Alternatively, Bang Chan is awkward and so are his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!!

Chan awoke to find the late morning sun streaming through the glass doors on the balcony. He squinted, the light much too bright for his bleary eyes. He must have forgotten to draw the curtain back before he fell asleep last night. Everything felt hazy.

 _It’s never this bright in the morning,_ he thought, glancing at his clock. He jumped, both upon seeing the time and the sudden knock on his door.

“Hyung?” came Jisung’s voice.

“Are you in a coma or not? I’m coming in,” said Changbin, his voice gruff.

The door opened abruptly, both of them barreling inside to sit on Chan’s bed.

Chan groaned, half-wishing he had a few more minutes of silence, but half-glad to see them.

“It’s almost noon, why didn’t you wake me up?”

Changbin and Jisung shared a concerned glance.

Jisung spoke up first. “You don’t sleep much, to begin with, hyung, so any extra sleep you get is good for you. You work too hard.”

Changbin smiled innocently, but his eyes were dangerous as he stared at Chan. His eyes flickered to the curtain.  _Oh no._

“So Channie-hyung, when were you planning to tell us we had a freaking balcony? We’ve been living here for a _year_ and we’re just finding this out.”

Chan challenged his stare with an equally stern one. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d do something stupid like throw water balloons at people passing by. Either that or toss rocks at unsuspecting birds.”

Jisung gasped, offended. “No, we wouldn't-”

Changbin put an arm on his shoulder, “Give it a rest, Sungie, you know he’s right.”

Jisung pursed his lips.

Chan stretched, feeling a little too well-rested. He threw off the covers and searched his drawer for clean clothes. A shower would help clear his mind, he thought. Jisung argued with Changbin about the water balloon scenario, claiming that if anything, they’d be filled with juice or paint at the very least.

The curly-haired man stopped in his tracks and gazed out over the balcony. Last night's placidity washed over him in waves, leaving him with an onslaught of questions he didn't know the answers to. He bit his lip, wondering if he had imagined it. 

“Did you guys hear anything around two in the morning?” 

Changbin shook his head. “Not really, I just remember-” he stopped, backtracking, “I didn’t hear anything.”

Chan chuckled. “What, you don’t remember hugging me? Or me tucking Sungie in?”

Jisung stood up, indignant. Changbin had no idea what provoked his glare but he had the feeling he’d know soon enough. “Binnie-hyung, so you really go around hugging everyone but me, huh?”

The raven-haired boy raised his palms in defense. “It was really late. I don’t remember it, I swear.”

Jisung huffed in annoyance and looked at both his hyungs. “Someone’s gonna cuddle me back someday and you’re going to regret ignoring me when you’re sitting here all lonely.”

Chan smirked, suddenly remembering the reason Changbin had texted him the night before. “Why don’t you go figure out where Minho lives, then? Seungmin knows.”

Jisung’s ears turned bright red. He tugged at the strings on his hoodie, picking his words carefully. “What does Minho-hyung have to do with this?”

Chan gave him a pitying look while Changbin slowly crawled across the bed where Jisung couldn't hurt him.

“How many songs did you write?” asked Chan, his voice softer than it was a few moments ago.

Jisung looked down and away from his friends. “Four,” he said meekly.

“Aww, you poor lovesick baby,” Chan cooed, walking towards him.

Jisung pouted but gave in, letting the hug happen.

Changbin stared at them, realizing why Chan had been gone in the first place.

“Channie-hyung, what did you do yesterday that it took you so long to get back?”

Chan reluctantly pulled away from Jisung, picking up the pile of clothes he collected earlier, and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll tell you guys later, I have to shower.”

“Coward!” Changbin yelled after him, shaking his fist. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jisung heard a soft knocking on their front door. Chan was still in the shower and Changbin was making their breakfast, so he went to open it. 

Seungmin stood there, looking somewhat grateful. He held a pack of Uno cards in one hand.

"So I know we just met and all, but Woojin-hyung left to get something from the store and I'm so bored I might cry." 

"And you decided we were your cure for boredom? I'm touched," Jisung grinned, leading him into the kitchen where Changbin was making omelets. 

Changbin turned around, pan still in hand. "Oh, hi Seungmin. Do you want breakfast?" 

Seungmin gave him an odd look and checked his phone. "It's noon."

"Brunch, then," Changbin said as he turned back to the stove. 

Seungmin shook his head, "No thanks, I ate a little while ago so I'm not hungry. Do you guys always eat this late?" 

Jisung shrugged, turning on the coffeemaker. "We wait for Chan-hyung. He's usually the first one awake but he woke up late today."

Changbin set the plates on the table and washed his hands. "You saw him yesterday, right Seungmin?" 

"Yeah, why?" said the redhead, placing the deck of cards on the table as he took a seat. 

"What were you guys doing? He came back pretty late."

Seungmin chuckled. "You seem really interested in all the details, Changbin. It's like you're his dad or something." 

Changbin set a cup of coffee in front of Seungmin. "I'm just curious as to why he came back so touchy. And it's Changbin-hyung to you."

The redhead pushed the cup back towards Changbin, who raised his brows but took it anyway. "I can't have coffee. Woojin-hyung said I shouldn't."

He stared at nothing in particular, but there seemed to be a hundred thoughts running through his head. 

"There's a story behind those eyes, Seungminnie. What happened?" said Jisung before filling his cheeks with food.

Seungmin took a deep breath. "Minho-hyung thought it was a good idea to give Felix and me some coffee one night while working on a project. We got three noise complaints within an hour; I think I yelled at Felix because he wouldn't stop shaking his leg and then he yelled at me because I kept clicking my pen."

Jisung looked at him wide-eyed, cheeks puffed out. He mumbled something but it was unintelligible.

Changbin looked at him in disgust. "Chew your food before you choke."

Jisung audibly swallowed and turned to Seungmin. "You know Felix?"

He nodded, smiling. "I've known both Felix and Minho-hyung for a long time. Woojin-hyung taught Felix how to play the piano so they were at our old house a lot. Actually, I would have gone to their apartment if Jisung hadn't opened the door."

The two of them processed this information while they ate. Changbin pretended he didn't know the tips of his ears turned pink.

He thought about those freckles a lot. 

Seungmin stared at both of them and found unexpected traces of fondness.  _Oh, this has got to be good,_ he thought. 

"How do you know Felix?" he prodded.

"He, uh, crashed into me when he couldn't stop his weird shoes from rolling," Changbin mumbled before taking a sip of his coffee.

Jisung snickered. "Yeah, Felix fell on him but hyung fell  _for_ him." It earned him a smack on the head from Changbin but he didn't even flinch. He knew it was coming. 

Seungmin scratched the back of his neck. "Those must've been some weird shoes."

"You would know since you bought them for him," muttered Chan, searching the cupboard for a mug. They hadn't heard him come in but it was clear he had been listening. He wore grey jeans and a white button-down, his damp hair getting curlier as it dried. 

"Chan-hyung?"

"Hey, Seungmin," Chan smiled brightly. "Your brother told me you gave Felix those shoes, so in a way, I guess you're the reason we met them."

Jisung looked at him, eyeing the coffee mug. "Seriously, you're still tired after sleeping for that long?"

Chan hummed, thinking about it. "Not really. Force of habit, I guess."

"More like a coffee addiction," said Changbin.

Seungmin sighed. "I have the same conversation with Woojin-hyung all the time. Wait, that reminds me- Did you guys hear anything last night?"

Chan sipped his coffee while Changbin and Jisung shook their heads. "No, not really."

"Hyung likes to play guitar when he can't sleep but he said he heard someone sing back to him yesterday. I thought he was imagining things but I'm not sure if anyone else heard." Seungmin looked downcast. "I could tell he was still thinking about it this morning; he seemed a little dazed."

Chan chugged his coffee at this point, desperately hoping the others wouldn't say anything. 

No such luck. 

"I think Chan-hyung might have heard," began Jisung. "We were asleep in our room but he asked us if we heard something. He never actually said what it was though." He squinted at Chan, who quietly tried to remove himself from the conversation by tiptoeing away. 

Seungmin's gaze stopped him. "You heard?"

Chan shook his head, putting the empty mug down. "I mean, I heard Woojin singing but nothing else."

Seungmin put his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand, a weird smile on his lips. "Really, what did you think of his singing?"

Chan knew where the conversation was going but that didn't mean he was any more prepared for it.

Thankfully, Changbin was. He stood and picked up Chan's plate, jamming it into the microwave. "We can talk about this later, his damn eggs are cold and I didn't make him breakfast for nothing." He picked up Seungmin's cards and gave them to Jisung, pointing to the table in the living room. "Let's play over there and let him eat."

The two boys went to sit on the floor and began shuffling the cards. Changbin was about to join them when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He glanced up at Chan.

"Thanks, Binnie."

Changbin shrugged, an easy smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah, just go eat your eggs."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"This isn't fun anymore," pouted Seungmin. 

"We've only played  _one_ game, you can't be bored already."

"It's more fun the more people you have."

Jisung chucked his sock at Chan who was sitting on the couch typing on his computer. "Hyung, play with us."

Chan spared them a glance. "No way, Jisung has no mercy when it comes to Uno." 

He only grinned in return.

Seungmin's eyes lit up. "Would it be okay if I asked Felix and Jeongin to play with us?" 

Jisung and Changbin looked at Chan and he mumbled a quiet "That's fine with me."

"Great! I'll call them then." Seungmin took out his phone from his pocket and walked away from them as he made the calls. 

Jisung poked Changbin's side. "So, Felix is coming."

"And?" 

"Your hair looks like a rat's nest." 

Changbin stood up and went to his room without another word. 

He came back a minute later with a black cap on. 

Jisung just looked at him. "You couldn't have just brushed your hair?"

Changbin gave him a look. "Shut up and put your sock back on." 

Chan snorted, shaking his head. They bickered about everything. 

There was a sudden knock on the door but no one stood up. 

"Really? I have to do everything in this house, I swear," grumbled Chan as he went to open it. 

He was met with Woojin, who was about to say something but stopped.

He was staring.

"Your- your hair is curly?" stuttered Woojin.

Chan immediately touched his hair as if to confirm. He nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't planning on going out today, so I didn't do anything to it." 

Woojin almost extended a hand out to touch but decided against it. It looked so soft. 

"It suits you, Chan."

Chan wasn't immediately sure if it was a compliment or not; Jisung had said his hair looked like ramen when it was blond a long time ago, but when Woojin said it like _that_ there was no way it wasn't a compliment. Woojin was nice.

"Thanks," he grinned back.

Woojin is a weak man and those dimples were not helping.

He was still staring and Chan was running out of things to say so he pointed behind himself. "Seungmin's here if you were looking for him."

Woojin shook his head, "I knew that, but I just came by to ask you for a favor. I went to the store to buy ingredients for banana bread, but when I got home I realized that while I bought flour, butter, and sugar, I completely forgot the bananas."

Chan still wasn't sure where this was going. 

"Long story short, I don't want to walk all the way back to the store, so could I possibly borrow some bananas if you have any?" 

Chan looked at him with a straight face and said: "Take them all." 

Woojin was taken aback. "What? I only need a few, it's alright." 

Chan left and came back with two full bunches of bananas, placing them into Woojin's arms. "Please get rid of them. I convinced myself I could eat them all but please take them away from me."  

All Woojin could do was stare in awe. 

"These are a lot of bananas, are you sure I shouldn't pay you back?"

Chan waved him away. "It's fine, just leave before I go bananas."

Woojin stared at him curiously. "Are you okay?"

"Not since you're still here," Chan giggled, closing the door. "Just go." 

"I- Okay, Chan."

The door shut completely and he waited until he heard the footsteps fade away.

Chan exhaled. It seemed like every interaction was more awkward than the last. Woojin wasn't awkward by any means, but Chan kept remembering the soft look on his face from the night before and felt like he knew something everyone else didn't. He wondered if it would happen again tonight. Maybe, just maybe, he'd pretend he was the moon for a little while longer. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For once, the gang's all here. Felix makes a promise, Jisung feels brave, and Chan is glowing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back to your irregularly scheduled domestic fluff, I hope you like it!!

"Hyung, are you sure you want to come? Seungmin only invited me, you know." Felix adjusted his beanie again, self-conscious as he and Minho made their way to the apartment Seungmin had specified. 

"And miss seeing the kid with the cute cheeks? No way." 

Felix rolled his eyes. "There you go again. Just don't say that to his face, the poor guy might combust."

Minho sighed. "He has no business looking that adorable and he should know that, but fine, whatever," he muttered. He absentmindedly rubbed the frost off the bottle he was holding. He didn't want to show up uninvited  _and_ emptyhanded. 

Felix stopped abruptly, pointing to a door on the left. "I think that's the apartment." 

Minho knocked and it opened quickly, Changbin beckoning them inside.

He smiled brightly at them until he met Felix's eyes. He kept his gaze down but his cap didn't quite conceal the blush on his cheeks. 

"Come in."

Minho handed him the bottle and followed the sound of Seungmin's giggles, leaving Changbin and Felix to stand in the hallway. 

"Hi again," exhaled Felix. 

"Hey, I was wondering how it went the other day, with the weird wheel shoes?" 

Felix blinked. "Oh, the Heelys? It was fine for the most part, but I did scrape my knees a little." 

"Ah, I've been there," hummed Changbin. "Jisung tried to teach me how to skateboard on a ramp. There was no one there to catch me other than the floor."

"Ouch," Felix grimaced. "Well, if you ever want to try learning again, I know how to skateboard. I'll catch you, I promise."

Felix beamed at Changbin and he couldn't resist smiling back. 

"I might take you up on that offer as soon as I find knee pads. We should go see the others though, I'm like seventy percent sure they looked at my cards already." 

They found Seungmin, Jeongin, Jisung, and Minho sitting around the table in the living room. The redhead flinched when he saw Changbin enter and slammed a stack of cards down onto the table. 

Changbin nudged Felix's arm. "See? I told you they'd cheat."

Seungmin quickly became defensive. "It was Jeongin's idea to look at your cards." 

The youngest gasped, indignant. "Changbin-hyung, I would never do that. I don't even know you."

He was in a good mood, so he let it slide. Changbin shrugged. "Let's start a new game with Minho-hyung and Felix, this time." He looked down at the glass bottle in his hand, suddenly remembering it was there. He placed the bottle on the table, a bit suspicious of its contents. "Wait, Minho-hyung, is this wine?" 

Chan, who was lying facedown on the carpet, suddenly lifted his head. "Minho sure knows how to party. Jisung can you get me a glass, please?" 

Jisung sighed but stood up to get it when Minho grasped his hand and tugged him back down. "It's not wine, it's sparkling grape juice. Felix said I shouldn't bring wine since you're all so young."

Chan put his head back down. "Nevermind, Jisung." 

Felix leaned close to Changbin's ear and whispered, "What's with him?" 

"Chan-hyung? Oh, he said he embarrassed himself in front of Woojin-hyung. Again." 

Felix raised his eyebrows. "Again? What happened the first time?"

Chan pushed himself off the floor into a sitting position. He stared at Changbin, daring him to say anything. "If you tell Felix, I'll play the file for him."

Changbin's blood ran cold. "I won't."

"What kind of file?" asked Minho. He turned to Jisung, who seemed a little flustered. "Are you okay?"

Jisung held up his hand, which Minho was still holding.

"Oh."

He didn't say anything but helped Jeongin shuffle the Uno cards with his other hand. Seungmin not-so-secretly recorded them from behind the couch.

Minho glanced at Jisung carefully, keeping his voice low enough so only he could hear. "You can let go if you want." 

Jisung looked down at their joined hands and shook his head. He held on tighter. 

Minho giggled, his lips curling into a smug grin.

Jeongin pointed at Seungmin's phone and Minho knocked it down with a throw pillow from the couch.

"Record me again and I'll call Hyunjin right now," he threatened.

The redhead scoffed. "You say that like I'm scared of him."

Jeongin glanced up from his phone and ran to the door. "Minho-hyung, I'm way ahead of you. He's already here." 

Seungmin yelped, "He's here?" 

Chan held his hands up. "Wait, wait, who else is coming? I'm not qualified to babysit this many kids. I need an adult."

Minho raised his free hand. "I was born in '98."

He shrugged. "You'll do."

Felix still looked puzzled. "What's in the file?"

Changbin hid his face in his hands. "Felix, please."

"It's a compilation of Changbin growling. Sometimes it's scary, but other times it's adorable. He sounds like a cat."

"Channie-hyung," he groaned. 

Felix rubbed his back in an effort to comfort him. "It's alright, I have Minho-hyung's old dance videos. He said one of them was an 'American dance' but honestly-" 

Minho whipped his head around to face him. "Felix, I  _swear_ I'm taking back all of my face masks-"

He stopped when he saw Hyunjin attempt to sneak behind Seungmin, throwing his arms around his neck.

"I can't believe you didn't invite me, Minnie. I'm hurt," he murmured in his ear.

Seungmin turned around to hug him properly before pulling back. "Don't even start," he asserted, "You told me you would be busy today. You had plans, so I didn't tell you." 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, resting his head on the redhead's shoulder. "I'll always make time for you, though. You know that, Seungmin. Besides, I was only busy in the morning so I came when Jeongin texted me."

Chan took a seat next to Minho, nodding his head at the pair. "Are they always like this?" he whispered.

Minho sighed. "Unfortunately for the rest of us, yes."

"So are they-"

" _Anyway_ , everyone's here, right? Let's start this game then." Changbin reached for the deck and started dealing cards for all of them. There was a weird tension in the air and the last thing he wanted to do was to make things awkward with the people he had just met. He was hoping they could all become close someday. 

 

* * *

  

After 9 excruciatingly long rounds of Uno, they had the results. 

  * Jeongin won 3 games.
  * Seungmin won 2 games.
  * Felix won 1 game.
  * Chan won 1 game. 
  * Hyunjin won 1 game.
  * Jisung won the last game. 



Minho huffed and flopped back onto the floor. "I can't believe I didn't win a single game. Where's my consolation prize?" 

"You can have Jisung," snickered Chan, pouring himself another glass of grape juice. Between him and Jeongin, the bottle was down to the last few drops. 

Minho sat up, eyes twinkling. "Deal."

Jisung, who had been uncharacteristically quiet until now, took Minho's hand. "Hyung, please teach me the American dance."

Felix was the first to object. "JISUNG, NO."  

"Please keep him," muttered Changbin.

Jeongin seemed to be doing a head count of all the winners. "Changbin-hyung didn't win any games, either."  

Changbin smiled meekly. "I didn't have the heart to give Felix all my +4 cards."

"Wait, do you guys smell that? Is that... bread?" asked Hyunjin.

Everyone stopped and sniffed.

Seungmin took one look at all of them and chuckled, saying, "You guys look like dogs." 

Chan's head snapped up. "Woojin said he was making banana bread." There was a knock on the door and his back stiffened. "I'll be back, someone go open the door." Chan stood and wobbled a bit, his legs gone numb since he had been sitting on them for so long. He took awkward, staggering steps and disappeared down the hallway. 

"Who wants to bet that it's Woojin-hyung at the door and that's why Channie-hyung ran?" chirped Jisung. 

Hyunjin scoffed. "I don't place bets if I know I'm going to lose." 

Minho threw an arm around Jisung's shoulders. "Depends, what are you willing to bet?" 

Jisung suddenly felt brave and wrapped an arm around Minho's lower back. "What are _you_ willing to lose?"

"That's literally the same question, idiot," quipped Changbin. "I'll go open the door." 

Woojin came in holding a large tray, steam rising off the bread in small waves. "Wait a little bit, it's still hot," he cautioned, motioning them away from the table before setting the tray down. 

Hyunjin rubbed his hands impatiently. "Aw, hyung, it's been so long since you've made banana bread." He almost snatched a piece when Woojin slapped his hand away. 

"Wash your hands first. You probably touched Seungmin or something." 

Jeongin giggled, "Seungmin, Woojin-hyung called you dirty." 

He laughed. "I showered this morning and he knows it." 

Woojin glared at him playfully. "Yeah, I wonder who left all that red hair in the drain. Everyone, go wash your hands before you get any bread." 

Along came a chorus of "Fine, Woojin-hyung" and "Okay, dad" before Woojin noticed something odd in the room. He looked around, counting all of them as they filed into the kitchen. 

"Where's Chan?"

They shrugged. "I think I saw him turn right at the end of that hallway," offered Minho. 

Woojin glanced at Changbin and Jisung with a cautious look on his face. "Can I?" 

Both of them waved him away towards the hallway. "Go for it." 

 

* * *

 

"Chan, can I come in?" said Woojin as he knocked on the only closed door in the hallway. He waited before knocking again. 

There hadn't been a clear "come in" but there was no "go away" either. 

He realized the door was unlocked as he turned the knob. Woojin entered quietly and closed it behind him. He felt like he shouldn't be in there, despite it being similar to his own room. He glanced at the anime figurines, posters, and keyboard piano. The bed was made and the room was relatively clean, but the room felt dark. The lights were off, Woojin knew that, but the atmosphere was somber. It surprised him most of all since Chan was so bright in comparison.

A thick curtain swayed slightly and it caught his attention. He approached it until he saw the balcony. 

Chan sat cross-legged on the floor with his head resting on the balcony's railing. Woojin still stood inside the bedroom, hesitating to go out onto the balcony. He could see Chan's profile illuminated by the sunset's golden rays. He was usually pale, but the soft orange lighting gave his skin a warm glow. He looked pensive. Chan exhaled, his closed eyes fluttering. 

Woojin tapped on the balcony door to alert Chan of his presence before stepping out. 

Chan jumped and looked up at him, the thoughtful look on his face vanishing and being replaced with an easy smile. "Hey, Woojin." 

Woojin cleared his throat, sheepish. "I came to bring you some of the bread I made. Can I join you?" 

"Of course."

He sat and handed Chan several generously cut slices of the banana bread wrapped in a large napkin. Chan took them from his hands graciously, fingers tingling where they had brushed each other. He felt the weight of the bread. 

"Woah, this is a lot for me, Woojin. What about the rest of them?" Chan looked concerned. 

"There wouldn't be any left if it were up to them, they're like vultures," Woojin chuckled. "I saved this for you." 

"I'm grateful. Thank you, really," said Chan earnestly. 

Woojin laid on his back, sighing. He stared at the clouds, trying to make shapes out of them like he usually did but he was too distracted. "It's the least I could do, considering you gave me the most important ingredient." 

Chan was quiet as he ate. "This is really good."

Woojin hummed his thanks.

He felt warm. There were only a few minutes of sunlight left before dusk and he wanted to soak it in. 

He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them. The sky was dark now and Chan was watching him. 

"You fell asleep."

Woojin sat up. "I did? For how long? I didn't mean to, I just-"

Chan placed a palm on his shoulder, laughing slightly. "Shh, it was only a few minutes. You're fine." 

"So are you," he muttered under his breath as he stood. He offered Chan a hand and helped him up. 

This time the pink hue on Chan's cheeks wasn't caused by the sunset. 

"I-" he stopped himself, rewording his thoughts. "I can't tell if you say things like that on purpose or if I'm just terribly awkward." 

Woojin avoided his gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You just-"

"I was asleep," he said teasingly. "Thanks for letting Seungmin invite the others, by the way, I know they can be loud. And Jeongin cheats at Uno." 

"It's no problem, really. I like having them around, but wait, did he really cheat?" Chan squinted his eyes, clearly not convinced.

Woojin nodded solemnly. "He knows he can get away with it, which is why he does it. He sneaks some of his cards underneath him to make it seem like he has less than he does." 

Chan was shocked. "He won three times. He really is cute, though," he added. "Cute like I'd adopt him if he wasn't almost fully grown and if I wasn't just barely an adult myself."  

Woojin laughed. "If he heard you he would probably complain that he gets babied too much. He pretends he doesn't like it but I don't think that's the case. He doesn't have older siblings by blood, but anyone who meets him treats him like family anyway. Anyway," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Chan."

Woojin yawned, reaching his arms out for a hug until he realized what he was doing and pulled them back. "Wait-"

Chan embraced him for a moment anyway.

Chan thought he smelled cinnamon again, faintly, before letting go. "Why'd you hesitate?" 

He covered his face. "I always make Seungmin hug me before going to sleep and I did it out of habit, sorry." 

Chan pried his hands off slowly. "I said it's alright. You can hug me again if you want." 

Woojin turned red and barely resisted the urge to cover his face again. "I'm gonna go, I think Seungmin called me." 

Chan squinted at him suspiciously but let him go. "I didn't hear anything, but if you say so." 

"See you later, Chan." 

"Take care, Woojin." 

 

* * *

 

Woojin walked into the living room and found all of them staring expectantly. "What?" his voice cracked.

Jisung hummed. Hyunjin whistled. All of them stared. 

"See, his face  _is_ red, so pay up kiddos," Minho extended his palm out to the rest of them.

"We didn't even bet money, hyung." 

Woojin sighed. "Just one day. All I want is one day of silence."

Faintly, he thinks he can hear Chan giggle from his room.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading and commenting!! I made myself laugh while writing this so I hope it made you laugh too 
> 
> thanks for all of the support <3 see you soon


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise meeting, a secret date, and a broken curse, all in that order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! Thank you so much for waiting on this chapter, it’s about 1k longer than usual <3 be prepared

Chan was stuck.

It was rare for him to feel uninspired, as he tended to draw abundant ideas from the surroundings and the people around him. Yet, he kept drawing blanks as he mulled over lyrics, discontent with the melodies he half-heartedly played on his keyboard. He sighed.

Physically, he was fine. He’d been eating right, lifting weights, and going out for runs early in the morning, much to Jisung’s dismay. It’s not like Chan was trying to wake him on purpose; the blender is just loud and he needs his smoothies.

He had been sleeping okay, for the most part. It had been almost two weeks since Woojin had stumbled into his room, offering bread, but he still heard his soft singing late at night when the balcony door was open. He won’t admit to opening it every night in the first place, but there was something about the curtains swaying in the summer breeze and Woojin’s mellow voice that put him at ease.

He was fine.

His creativity, however, was not, which is why he found himself at a nearby park on an early Tuesday afternoon. Chan thought a change of scenery would help, so he packed a small keyboard and his laptop into a backpack and went on his way after making sure his friends would be okay without him. Jisung said he would clean his room, surprisingly, and Changbin said he had plans himself. He was blushing slightly as he told Chan, but he knew better than to press for details when Changbin looked embarrassed already.

The park was nearly empty but in a pleasant way. There were few children on the playground a short distance away from the picnic table where he sat, and the occasional elderly couple strolled past, watching birds flit from tree to tree.

Chan felt uninspired _and_ alone. 

He rubbed his eyes, the sunlight and his computer screen straining his sight. His vision was still blurry when he saw a figure begin to approach his table, some sort of case protruding from his back.

“Chan?” gasped the figure, a surprised lilt to his voice. Chan blinked a few times before he saw Woojin clearly, smiling as he sat down to join him.

“Hey, Woojin,” he grinned back. He didn’t mean to sigh, but that didn’t mean Woojin didn’t catch it, either. His gaze quickly changed from surprised to concerned, though Chan wasn’t going to let him ask.

“Where did you come from?” Chan said, pointing to the guitar.

The older male swung the case off his back, laying it across the table next to the laptop. “I just came back from teaching guitar at an elementary school not too far from here. I’m friends with some of the teachers so they ask me to visit every now and then.  But hey,” Woojin frowned, placing a hand on Chan’s wrist, “What’s wrong? You look kind of… stuck, like there’s a problem you can’t solve.”

Chan patted Woojin’s hand in reassurance. “Either you read people really well or it’s clear on my face, but yeah, I do feel a bit stuck.” He looked at the ground through the cracks in the picnic table. “I’ve been trying to write a new song for weeks now, but I’m not happy with the way anything turns out. I’m not inspired and it’s driving me crazy.” He felt even crazier when Woojin placed his other hand on top of his, sandwiching his hand between both of Woojin’s. His initial thought was “Chanwich” but he wasn’t going to say it out loud.

“Well, what do you usually write about? Let’s start there.”

Chan hummed, thinking for a moment. “Hardship, usually. Like the struggles and things that Changbinnie, Jisungie, and I have been through, but I don’t necessarily feel sadness or pain right now. I don’t know what I feel.”

Woojin listened carefully, nodding along as he processed Chan’s words. He removed his hands and drummed his fingers on the table instead. “What if you tried making a different type of song? You won’t have to keep it or post it or anything, but maybe working on something else will help you get a fresh start on what you actually want to do. Like a challenge, I guess.”

Chan leaned forward in his seat, intrigued. “What type of song are you thinking of?”

He moved the slightest bit back, surprised at Chan’s sudden proximity. He tapped his chin in thought. “What about a love song?”

“A love song?” Chan sagged his shoulders. The prospect of having to come to terms with his crush on Woojin in _fron_ t of Woojin almost made his stomach hurt. He wasn’t ready.

Woojin smiled nonetheless. “Yeah, it doesn’t have to be sad, just think about someone you like and go from there.”

“You make it sound so easy,” he mumbled, laying his head on the table. He heard Woojin suddenly take a deep breath before he felt a phone being placed in his hand.

“What-?”

“Hopefully that'll help you start,” said Woojin, an earnest expression on his face. He looked vulnerable.

The curly-haired man glanced at the screen. These were song lyrics, a whole page of them as he continuously scrolled. _This_ was a love song if he’d ever seen one, the words poetic and endearing. He liked it, but it was Woojin’s work and he felt wrong taking it.

“Woojin, thank you but I can’t accept this. It’s yours and it's personal, I can’t take that from you.” He tried handing the phone back but Woojin stopped him with an intense eye roll.

“I wasn’t asking you, I’m giving it to you. The song isn’t completely done and still needs improvement, just show me what you can do with this.” He grinned. “This is my challenge. And besides, take your time, it’s up to you whether you want to do it or not. I have plenty of other songs since I’ve been inspired lately.”

Chan reluctantly nodded, knowing Woojin wouldn’t take no for an answer. He skimmed the lyrics instead and found a particularly interesting line.

“So you like dimples, huh?” Chan cocked an eyebrow, a smirk gracing his face.

Woojin snatched the phone back, face red. “You’re going to pretend you didn’t read that, okay? Give me your number so I can send you the lyrics after I proofread them.”

Chan repeated “proofread” while making quotation marks with his fingers. “Yeah, alright Woojin. Here.” He handed his phone over so the other man could copy his contact information. It didn’t register in his mind that he was getting Woojin’s number since he was still worried about letting him down. Doubt clouded his face. “You trust me this much?”

”Absolutely. You haven’t given me a reason not to.” 

Chan bit the inside of his cheek, thinking about the nights he joined him on the balcony. Woojin still didn’t know it was him singing back. 

He sighed. “I’ll do it, but I need some help understanding the melody since all I have is the lyrics here.”

Woojin’s eyes gleamed and Chan almost kicked himself when he realized how fond he felt. “I can definitely help with that! I actually started composing some of it on my guitar but it’s up to you if you want to change it in the end.” 

Chan’s heart didn’t flip. Nope. Absolutely not. It almost cartwheeled out of his chest when he saw Woojin smile like that. 

“Can you sing it for me?”

Woojin stuttered. “I- Here? Right now?” He glanced around. “In public?” 

“What, you’ve never sung outside before?” Chan teased. 

He received a glare in return. “No, I have, but this song stays between you and me for now. Deal?” 

Chan’s brain stopped processing after he heard “between you and me” and he did all he could to not scream externally. His insides were a different matter. 

Woojin stared at him expectantly.

”I, uh, sure.” 

Woojin smiled, content. “Good. I’ll play it for you later.” He suddenly froze, staring behind Chan’s head. “Wait, where are Changbin and Jisung?” 

“Sungie’s at home and Binnie said he had plans. He didn’t say what they were, though. Why?” He glanced back and Woojin pointed at some trees in the distance, blonde hair and a black baseball cap peeking through the leaves. 

Woojin chuckled. “Maybe that’s why.” 

Chan still looked confused.

It wasn't until the pair were past the trees that Chan was finally able to distinguish Felix's face next to Changbin's. 

"Chan," Woojin shook his shoulder. "They're on a date." 

Changbin was standing unsteadily on a slow-moving skateboard, Felix's hands gently holding his waist to catch him in case he fell. They were close enough that Chan and Woojin could hear them but the younger pair hadn't seen them yet. 

Changbin yelped as the skateboard's wheels hit a crack in the pavement and he lurched forward, bracing himself for the impact that never came. Felix's arms wrapped around him and kept him safe while the skateboard rolled backward. 

"That was close, I'm sorry hyung." 

"I don't think I'll learn at all if I don't let myself make mistakes. I'll be okay if I fall, Felix." Changbin glanced up at the blonde, pouting. "I just don't think this approach is working." 

Felix cocked his head to the side. "Well,  _I_ think it's working," he grinned, motioning to the little space there was between them. 

Changbin coughed and looked away. Suddenly, it dawned on him. 

"Did you really want to teach me? Because it seems like a ploy to get you to hold me." 

Felix avoided his eyes. "Would that be wrong?" 

"I-" Changbin stammered and his cheeks turned a pretty shade of scarlet. He detached himself from Felix, hiding his face. "I'll go bring the skateboard." 

Felix sighed and looked around, finally seeing two smug hyungs looking back at him. "Oh my god." 

Chan and Woojin waved at him, motioning for him to sit at the picnic table. He gratefully took a seat next to Woojin, resting his head on his hyung's shoulder right away. Chan thought it was endearing how close they were. 

The raven-haired boy came back into view with the skateboard in his hands, frantically searching around. "Felix? Where'd you go?" 

Chan whistled to get his attention and Changbin knew exactly who it came from, reluctantly facing them. Chan knew him well enough to know his lips whispered "Damn it" even though he couldn't hear him. 

Changbin sat down next to Chan and the latter was all too eager to start the interrogation. 

"So this was the date you didn't tell me about?"

"It's not a date, hyung, Felix just offered to teach me how to ride a skateboard. That's it." 

Felix glanced at Chan and mouthed "It's a date." 

Changbin ignored that (his blush didn't) and continued. "I didn't tell you because I knew you would freak out and make me wear a helmet and kneepads and strap a first-aid kit on my back. You worry too much but I knew I'd be fine." 

Chan frowned. "There's nothing wrong with being prepared. I have an emergency kit here in my backpack; you never know what could happen." 

Woojin laughed.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that-" Woojin unzipped a pouch on his guitar case, pulling out a roll of bandages and disinfectant spray, "I do that too." 

"Un-fucking-believable," said Changbin, amazed. 

Felix's jaw dropped. "There's no logical reason for that other than you two are meant for each other." 

Changbin reached out to grasp Felix's shoulder. "I'm glad we're on the same page." 

The blonde moved his hand away from his shoulder and intertwined their fingers instead, resting their joined hands on the table. "Me too." 

Changbin slammed his face on the table. "You're killing me, Felix," he mumbled into the wood. 

Woojin just shook his head at the blonde. "Be nice." 

Chan looked closely at Felix before asking, "Wasn't your hair brown a few weeks ago? It looks great, by the way."

Changbin raised his head and grinned. "He looks good, right?" 

Woojin beat him to the reply. "Yeah, he changes his hair color pretty often. Minho tells him he'll become bald but that's just a misconception. Hair can get brittle and break from damage but you won't go completely bald just because you dye it." 

Chan blinks. "Oh, I know that. My hair was blonde about a year ago, silver a few months ago, and it was light pink once when I was younger." He shuddered. He won't try that again anytime soon. 

"Really? It looks so healthy." Woojin almost reached out and touched it. 

He shrugged. "It'd be healthier if I stopped straightening it so much." 

Felix glanced at him. "Why do you?" 

"Curly hair is unpredictable. Sometimes it's really tangled, other times it looks just fine. It gets poofy when there's humidity in the air so I usually just straighten it and call it a day." 

"Your curls suit you, hyung," Felix concluded. Woojin smiled. "That's what I said, too." 

Chan put his face in his hands. "Thanks, guys."

Woojin's phone rang and he answered, quickly ending the call with an exasperated "fine". He stood up from the bench and picked up his guitar. 

"Sorry, Seungmin asked me to get him ice cream on the way home and I forgot to tell him I would take long. I'll see you guys later." He smiled apologetically.

Felix got up after him, picking up his skateboard from where Changbin had set it. "I'll go with you. Bye, Chan-hyung. Bye, Changbinnie-hyung." 

Changbin waved back and waited until they were out of earshot before he said, "Did he just call me Changbinnie?" 

Chan snorted. "He really likes you, Binnie." 

"And Woojin-hyung likes  _you_ ," he countered. 

"Where are you going with this? We're literally in the same situation." 

Changbin hummed. "I'll move out when you confess to Woojin-hyung if that'll get you to do it quicker." 

Chan wrapped him in a hug. "Then I'm never confessing, I like having you around, Bin. I love you and Jisung too much to let you leave me." 

Changbin laughed softly, rubbing Chan's back. "I was joking, hyung. I love you too." His stomach grumbled and Chan pulled back, eyeing him curiously. 

"You didn't eat breakfast, did you?" 

"I did, but I haven't eaten anything since."

Chan put his laptop and keyboard away in his backpack before standing up, pulling Changbin with him. “Let’s get lunch, then. 

 

* * *

 

Jisung had been diligently cleaning the apartment since Changbin left. He felt like he needed to put his energy into something before he wrote another song that would never see the light of day. He was about to start mopping the kitchen when he heard a frantic knock on the door. 

“Did they not take their keys?” he said to himself before he opened it, revealing a man with a concealed face. Not only was he wearing large sunglasses and a face mask, but his hood was drawn up. Jisung almost slammed the door closed. 

“Can I help you?”

”Please, Jisung, it’s your hyung.” The man’s voice was pleading and impatient.

”I have many hyungs, which one are you?” 

The man sighed and removed his sunglasses, showing a black, dried substance caked around his eyes and forehead. Jisung took a step back. 

“Oh, Minho-hyung, come in.” 

Minho sat on a stool in the kitchen, waiting for Jisung. “How did you know it was me?” 

Jisung shrugged, “Your eyelashes.” 

“Seriously?”

”Yeah, no one else has them that long.” 

Minho was taken aback by how honest and observant he was. He’d never heard that before. 

“Hyung, what’s on your face?”

“Oh, right.” The older man took off his hood and removed his face mask completely. “I put on this clay mask but I couldn’t get it off and I tried reading the bottle but it’s in English. I was hoping you could help me.” 

Jisung smiled even though he was confused. “Of course.” He moved a stool just a few inches in front of Minho and sat down so he could get a good look at him. “Wait, let me wash my hands first.” 

Minho exhaled as Jisung left. He was suddenly grateful for his mistake since the mask covered his face completely, including the blush he knew was on his cheeks. 

“I’m back. Here, move closer to me please.” Jisung directed. He gently placed his hands on Minho’s cheeks, feeling the rough texture of the clay. If anything, it made his jaw look more chiseled. He cursed at himself for thinking that while looking into his eyes.

Minho winked at him. 

“Hyung.”

”Sorry.”

Jisung tried peeling the mask off but it wouldn’t budge. His fingernails just scratched the surface. He tried rubbing different parts of his face to see if anything came off, but no such luck. “Do you have the bottle with you?” 

Minho blinked. “Right, here.” He pulled it out of his hoodie pocket and handed it to him. 

Jisung read the label carefully, hoping he still hadn’t forgotten most of his English. “Remove with a warm, wet cloth.” 

“Oh.”

“What does it say?” asked Minho.

“Wait here.” Jisung left again and returned with a bowl of warm water and a clean washcloth. He dipped a corner of the cloth into the water and raised it to Minho’s cheek. The clay disappeared.

Minho hummed happily. “That feels nice, is it coming off?” 

Jisung nodded, resuming his work until Minho’s face was clean. He was dabbing at the last of the clay on his chin when he looked into his eyes. 

He giggled. “Hyung, could you not stare at me like that?”

”Like what?” he asked innocently. He hadn’t been doing anything on purpose for once and now suddenly Jisung was flustered. 

“I don’t know, your eyes look all sparkly like you’re some sort of prince and it’s distracting.” 

The mask wasn’t there to hide Minho’s pink cheeks anymore. “How do I make it stop?” 

“I guess you were blessed with a curse,” Jisung sighed dramatically before standing to put away the bowl and dirty cloth. Minho stood as well and tugged Jisung close. 

“Don’t you break curses with a kiss?” 

“We can find out if you want.” 

Minho laughed, leaning in. Jisung didn’t think he would actually do it and panicked at the last second, shifting away when the kiss landed on his cheek. 

Minho crossed his arms, pouting. “I feel cheated, you literally offered to kiss me.” 

“I know, I know, I panicked. Let’s try again.” 

Jisung leaned in this time, making contact with Minho’s pouted lips. He couldn’t keep the giggles from coming and took a step back to breathe. 

“Minho-hyung, you taste like clay.”

“But did you break the curse?” he said, batting his lashes. 

“Hmm, I don’t think so. Let’s try one more time, then,” Jisung grinned.

Minho let out a loud laugh and pushed him aside playfully. “Take me on a date first, then we’ll see.” 

He walked to the door and Jisung followed him. “Felix left his keys and I have to open for him when he gets back so I should go. Thank you, Jisung. I’ll see you later.” 

He locked the door behind him and walked to the living room, curling up on the couch for a quick nap. “I just kissed a prince," he mumbled to himself as he drifted off to sleep. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I said this chapter was wild I meant it sjskslsj
> 
> I’m so so grateful for all of you who have read, left kudos, bookmarked, subscribed, and commented like?? this is so crazy I’m glad you like the story 
> 
> see you soon <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes confrontation is necessary.

Jisung woke up to the smell of food. Yes, definitely food, not Changbin roughly shaking his leg so he would get up. He remembered sitting on the couch but he was so groggy from the nap that he couldn’t recall how long he’d been out.

Chan held a large paper bag in front of him, dimples flashing. “We brought you a burger. I felt bad for interrupting Changbinnie’s date so I let him pick the restaurant.”

Jisung’s mind was still clouded but that immediately got his attention. He cocked an eyebrow. “Binnie-hyung, that’s why Felix picked you up?”

Changbin crossed his arms. “He said he would teach me to skateboard and I got his number when we played Uno. It wasn’t really a date.”

“Yeah, yeah, but how’d that go?” Jisung asked as he looked sifted through the contents of the paper bag.

Changbin pulled his hat down to cover his eyes. “It was fun, except for the skateboarding part. I still suck but at least he didn’t let me fall.”

Jisung popped a fry into his mouth and Chan pulled the bag away saying he should wash his hands first. He turned back to Changbin. “That’s why you suck. You’re supposed to fall at first, it’s how you learn.”

“That’s what I said! I told him it wasn’t working but he said _he_ thought it was.” He suddenly remembered how close he was to Felix’s face when he said that. He could sense his cheeks turning red.

Jisung looked at Chan, an unamused look on his face. “Were you watching him?”

“Yes.”

“Was Felix holding him?”

“By the waist, then hugged him when he almost fell.”

Changbin glared at the traitor. “How is that relevant?”

Jisung giggled. “Felix had it all planned. He’s got it bad for you, hyung.”

“Do you guys think I should-”

“Ask him out? Definitely,” Chan chirped, Jisung nodding.

Changbin took a deep breath. “Then I might. I’m not sure when, but I might.”

Jisung smiled wide. “You go, hyung!”

Chan turned to Jisung, leaning in to see his face. “I think there’s something on your lips.”

“What?” Jisung wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and it came back with a smudge of grey. The chalky taste in his mouth only confirmed his suspicions.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god,” he chanted as he launched himself off the couch and ran to the bathroom mirror. Sure enough, there was clay on the corner of his lips. Minho-hyung had left his mark.

He calmly walked to the kitchen, washed his hands, then sat down on the couch and took the bag back from Chan. They stared at him expectantly.

Before he took the first bite of his burger (he had dramatically planned it this way) he simply said, “Oh, Minho-hyung and I kissed.”

It was completely worth it to see Changbin’s wide eyes and Chan’s disbelieving “mate” as he chewed his food.

“You _what_?”

He swallowed thickly. Damn, either the burger was amazing or he was a little too satisfied with telling them the news. “We kissed. He came over earlier because he needed help taking his clay mask off, so I helped him and then we kissed.”

Changbin nearly shrieked at him. “How can you say that so calmly? You’ve been writing about him nonstop but when you see him you’re not nervous or anything?”

“We leave you for _one_ day then you clean the house and make out with our neighbor?” Chan deadpanned.

“God, no, it wasn’t like that. It was just a peck on the cheek.” He took a sip of the juice box they got him. Jisung would bet Changbin was the one who picked it. “The first time, at least.” He snorted.

Chan pinched the bridge of his nose. “This kid-" he sighed, "I just hope you’re not moving too fast, okay? But I’m happy for you.” He gave him a sincere smile which Jisung would have returned if it weren't for the food in his cheeks. “Thanks, hyung.”

Changbin was happy for him, really, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust Minho yet. Maybe it was because he had been a little _too_ touchy with Jisung, or maybe because he was Felix’s older brother. Either way, he’d have a talk with him before things got any more serious between the two of them.

“Oh no, Binnie’s got that protective-older-brother look on his face,” Chan teased as he nudged Jisung's elbow, nearly knocking the juice out of his hands.

“Speaking of older brothers, why were you and Woojin-hyung sitting together? Not that I'm complaining or anything but-" Changbin raised his head to look at him directly, his eyes mischievous. "You said you were going out alone. Are you hiding something?"

Chan’s smile faltered a bit, confused. "I did go out alone. I was at the park and he happened to be walking past, so he sat next to me. We saw you and Felix a little while later." 

Jisung put all the trash away in the bag and tossed it out in the kitchen, returning to the living room with a weird grin. He plopped down on the sofa next to Chan. "Well, that's interesting. What did you two talk about?" 

Chan specifically remembered that Woojin wanted to keep the song a secret. He cleared his throat, willing himself to keep a straight face. "Not much, really." He wasn't going to tell them that he had Woojin's number, either. He knew where that conversation would go. 

Someone's phone started vibrating suddenly and they all searched their own pockets trying to find it. Chan saw the screen light up on his own phone and answered it without looking.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other side was distant and muffled, almost as if they were speaking through several layers of fabric.

" _Channie, can you please open the door? I can't really use my hands."_

Jisung and Changbin had been sitting close enough to Chan that they could hear the call clearly. Jisung furrowed his brow, mouthing at Changbin. " _Channie_?" 

The older boy shrugged. "I have no idea who the person is," he mouthed back.

Chan hung up and opened the front door. Behind a large basket stood Woojin, the black guitar case on his back. He sheepishly peeked his head around the basket. 

"Hi," he breathed, staring at Chan with a giddy smile on his face. Chan grinned back and took the heavy basket from his hands, nodding his head at the kitchen. "Get in here." 

Woojin greeted Jisung and Changbin, who said hello back but stared at him in confusion. "How did you call him without using your hands?" 

He placed his guitar on the floor by the table and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. "Siri."

Jisung snorted. "So your phone was in your pants?"

"Yes."

Jisung looked directly at Chan. " _Talk about a booty call_ ," he said in English, earning a pinch in his side after Chan set the basket down on the table. 

" _I'm not buying you food anymore_ ," Chan said through his teeth, somehow still smiling. 

Changbin shook his head at them, walking closer to get a good look inside the basket. He could see flour, eggs, bananas, and butter.

"Woojin-hyung, what's this for?" 

The man in question looked away from where the other two bickered in English, understanding a few words but not nearly enough to know why Chan was so embarrassed. He took the ingredients out of the basket and set them on the kitchen counter. "Chan asked me to show him how to make banana bread." 

"Oh?" Changbin raised his eyebrows at his hyung. "That's new." 

Chan turned to Woojin. "I did?"

Woojin cocked his head to the side, tilting it so the others wouldn't see his wink. "At the park, _remember_?"

Chan quickly got the hint and clapped his hands together. "Right! I did say that, thanks for coming so soon." 

Something didn't sit quite right with Jisung. The basket made sense, and the ingredients are all there, but... 

"Woojin-hyung, if you guys are baking then what's the guitar for?" 

"Uh," Chan glanced at Woojin for help. 

"Jisungie," Woojin threw an arm around the boy's shoulders, giggling. "Do you know how to bake?"

"No, but-" 

"Then don't question it," he ruffled the younger's hair and Jisung gave up trying to get answers. "Do you guys want to help?" 

Changbin and Jisung shook their heads simultaneously. "Not really." 

Woojin looped his arm through Chan's, pulling him to the counter. "I guess it's just you and me, then." 

The other two muttered "Have fun" as they left the kitchen, opting to play video games instead. Until Changbin got tired of losing, anyway.

Chan turned to Woojin as soon as they were gone but kept his voice quiet in case they could still hear them. "Is this what you came up with so they wouldn't suspect anything? I think it just makes it more suspicious." He unlooped his arm so he could wash his hands before starting on the bread. "Other people have come in to record music, Woojin, they don't care." 

"It's not that I don't want _them_ to know or anything. If Seungmin knew I was coming over multiple times a week -or however long it'll take to finish the song- without a good reason then he won't let me live it down."

Chan stopped searching for bowls and looked up at Woojin. "Live what down?" 

Woojin took a deep breath, debating whether he should be honest or not, but knowing himself he knew he'd say the truth anyway. "He'll say I'm whipped for you or something." 

Chan snorted, continuing his search for utensils. "And that bothers you?" 

"Not really, it's just that if anyone's whipped for someone, it's him. Hyunjin is watching a movie with him right now." 

Chan hummed in agreement, turning around to face him when he had everything ready. "So," he beamed, "You're going to teach me to knead bread?" 

Woojin looked at him curiously, wondering if he was serious or not. "Chan."

"What?"

"We're making banana bread."

"Yeah, I know."

Woojin leaned his face closer, trying to see if Chan was lying or not. 

Chan squirmed, not used to seeing his intense gaze that close. 

"Chan."

"What, Woojin?"

"You don't knead banana bread. It's a batter that you pour into the pan." 

 _Now_ he felt stupid. Chan slapped his hands on his face. "I can't believe I didn't know that." 

Woojin giggled, prying Chan's hands off his face. "Don't worry about it, it's cute. Anyway, once this gets into the oven we'll have about an hour to work on the music."

"That's alright with-"

Changbin stopped in the doorway, seconds away from opening the front door when he saw Woojin still holding Chan's hands. He poked his tongue in his cheek, trying not to laugh. "Looks like you two are busy," he teased.

Chan stuck his tongue out at him, letting go of Woojin. "You're just jealous because no one is holding  _your_ hands, Binnie."  

The younger boy scoffed. "You really think so? Guess who's here."

He opened the door to a smug-looking Minho and a disgruntled Felix, whose pout turned into a bright smile when he saw Changbin. 

"Hey, Changbin-hyung," Felix chirped. "I was going to come alone but-" he motioned to Minho, who greeted Changbin with a curt nod, " _Someone_ doesn't trust me enough to let me get here by myself." 

Minho laughed at his brother. "That's not why I came with you." 

Jisung poked his head out from behind Changbin, scaring his hyung in the process. "Hello there," he drawled, waggling his eyebrows at the two brothers. 

Felix saw the kitten-like grin that formed on Minho's lips when he saw Jisung and it finally dawned on him. To be honest, he should have known this a long time ago.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had a reason for coming here.

"Changbinnie-hyung, I came to ask you something." 

Felix suddenly had five pairs of eyes staring at him. The blonde huffed in annoyance. "Do you  _mind_?" he directed at everyone but Changbin, not even surprised that Woojin and Chan were there too.

Minho raised his hands in defense. "Alright, alright. Let's go, Jisung," he tugged his sleeve and led him to the living room, starting up the game Changbin had left. Chan shrugged and went back to the kitchen with Woojin.

"I think they can still hear us," Felix whispered.

Changbin decided to show him the room he shared with Jisung for more privacy. He was suddenly glad Jisung had spent the day cleaning when he opened the door; the fresh bedsheets smelled like lavender fabric softener and even his Munchlax looked more perked up than usual. 

Felix turned to face him, his ears the slightest bit pink. "Hyung, you didn't really like skateboarding, did you?" 

The older boy frowned, sitting on his bed. "That's not true, I had fun." 

"Yeah, but I feel like it wasn't something you wanted to do."

Changbin patted the spot next to him and Felix sat down gingerly, not making eye contact. 

"Felix, where's this coming from? I had a good time even if I didn't learn much," he laughed softly. 

The blonde sighed. "I mean- Maybe we should do something _you_ want to do next time." 

Oh.  _Oh._ Changbin couldn't keep the smile off his face when he realized what Felix was trying to get at. 

"You know, Felix," he grinned, "If you wanted a second date, all you had to do was ask." 

"So it  _was_ a date," the younger boy leaned in, forcing Changbin to move back. Felix was close. Too close. Changbin got so distracted looking at his freckles that he completely missed what the other had said. 

"Hyung."

"Hm?"

"Did I make you lose count?" Felix winked and Changbin wanted to scream. This kid would be the end of him before they even got to their second date.

He stood up quickly, not-so-secretly hiding his red face. "I think we should check on your brother and Jisung. I'm slightly worried he might have kissed his cheeks off by now." 

Felix laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised, judging by the way Minho-hyung looks at him." 

It had been a lighthearted comment, Changbin knew that, but it still made him uneasy. 

The pair found Minho and Jisung sitting on the couch, Minho's hands squishing the younger's cheeks. The four of them shared an awkward silence, all of them judging each other. 

"I thought you said you didn't like it when people pinched your cheeks," Changbin squinted.

Minho started retracting his hands but Jisung kept them in place with his own. He didn't look away from him as he spoke. "That's because pinching hurts, and hyung isn't pinching me. What were you two talking about, though? Changbin-hyung looks like he's seconds away from combusting." He snickered.

"I asked him out," Felix blurted. Changbin just looked at him.  _So much for secrecy_ , he thought. 

Minho hummed, getting up. "Changbin, can I talk to you in the hallway for a minute?"

Felix knew where this was going and almost held him back. 

Changbin nodded, knowing this was the perfect opportunity to talk to him, too. 

Felix plopped down next to Jisung who looked just as apprehensive as he did. He hugged his shoulder. "I'm so sorry about my brother."

Jisung just shook his head. "I could say the same thing about Changbin-hyung." 

The hallway wasn't the most private place to talk since the others could still hear them, but Minho began to speak anyway. "Look, I like you. You seem like a good guy and you're pretty nice, but since you're Felix's first boyfriend and I'm his brother, there's something I have to say. If you hurt even a single freckle on his face, I promise you won’t live to see Jisung and me have kids." He gave the impression that he wasn't serious, but he could be. 

 _Wow, that was dramatic_ , thought Changbin.  _No wonder Jisung likes him._

"That's understandable, but Minho-hyung? Jisung is my best friend and if you break his heart you'll have to answer to me. And Channie-hyung. Trust me, you never want to see him angry." Changbin felt his blood run cold just thinking about it. 

Minho nodded solemnly, "That's fair. So are we good?" His grin returned quickly, and he extended his hand out to Changbin for a handshake. It came out awkward and unplanned, but it reflected their friendship so far. Minho led him back to the living room where Felix and Jisung were holding each other, cringing. 

"You guys make everything so weird," Jisung whined.

Felix grimaced. "Really, Minho-hyung? You had to tell him he's my first boyfriend?" 

Minho was about to answer when they heard a door slam shut and the soft click of a lock being put in place. 

Fifty minutes later, Woojin ran out behind Chan, asking, "What do you  _mean_ you forgot the timer?" 

 

* * *

 

The baking had gone fine, for the most part, and they had progressed a tiny bit on the music, so Woojin felt tired by the time he entered his own apartment. The lights were off and he remembered he had last seen Hyunjin and Seungmin in the living room. 

Woojin approached the pair cautiously, keeping his steps quiet as to not wake Seungmin who lay fast asleep with his head resting on Hyunjin’s lap. The raven-haired boy hadn’t noticed him yet, his attention directed at Seungmin’s soft hair and the feel of it between his fingers.  
  
Hyunjin combed through the red hair gently, being careful not to pull on any tangles. The movie had ended a while ago but both had refused to get up and put on another one. Seungmin clicked on a random documentary and draped himself across his best friend’s lap, snoring softly the minute Hyunjin put his hands on his hair. They hadn’t moved at all.  
  
Woojin’s expression softened when he saw the look on Hyunjin’s face. It was nothing short of adoration but it was tinged with sadness, too. He sighed.  
  
“Hyunjin, you okay?” Woojin began as he walked closer, keeping his voice low as he sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the boy.  
  
Hyunjin looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”  
  
Woojin would have believed him if it wasn’t for the crack in his voice. He gave him a stern look.  
  
“You know what I’m talking about.”  
  
Hyunjin didn’t meet his eyes. He couldn’t. His voice had started off soft, but it became more distressed as he spoke. “Why hasn’t he said anything yet? Have I been reading too much into this? Why won’t he- I don’t know if he feels the same but it hurts, hyung.” He sniffled. “He’s my best friend, but _fuck_ does it hurt.”  
  
Woojin nodded, letting him vent. He thought he saw Seungmin frown momentarily, but he still seemed dead to the world.

He hummed.  
  
“It’s been way too long, I agree with you but I think he’s just scared.”  
  
Hyunjin scoffs. “Scared of what? I’d never even dream of hurting him, that’s the last thing I want to do.” His voice was merely a whisper now. “All I’ve ever done is love him.”  
  
“Maybe he’s scared of himself.”  
  
The raven-haired boy furrowed his brow, confused. “What’s he afraid of?”  
  
Woojin patted his leg comfortingly. “I’m sorry, Jinnie, I can’t exactly answer that for you.” He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”  
  
The next few minutes were quiet, steeped in emotion neither man knew how to address. Hyunjin continued combing through Seungmin’s hair, allowing himself that much. He took a deep breath and made eye contact with Woojin, who waited patiently.  
  
He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He hesitated even now.  
  
Woojin stretched out a hand and placed it over Hyunjin’s. He had known him long enough to read his face.  
  
“You’re not sure if you want to tell me because I’m his brother, is that right?” A small, understanding smile on the elder’s lips.  
  
He received a tiny nod in return.  
  
Woojin sighed. “I know I’m his brother, but I’m _your_ friend, too. And it’s alright if you don’t want to tell me.”  
  
Hyunjin looked down at Seungmin’s sleeping form, gathering his courage. There wasn’t much to say, but the implications behind it were overwhelming.  
  
“He kissed me.”  
  
He noticed Woojin’s raised eyebrows and amended quickly. “Wait, let me finish. He kissed me a few weeks ago, in his sleep. We had been watching a movie-”  
  
“When don’t you?” Woojin chuckled softly.  
  
“We were watching a movie that night he stayed at my house, and he said he got sleepy so I turned it off which was weird because he loves action movies, you know? The good ones, not the ones where he analyzes every glaring problem in the plot, but anyway-”  
  
Woojin had an awfully fond expression on his face and the younger boy felt the blush rise on his cheeks.  
  
“Continue.”  
  
“Okay but stop looking at me like that, hyung.”  
  
Woojin pursed his lips and willed himself to maintain a neutral expression, but it was hard when Hyunjin just looked so unmistakably in love.  
  
“We shared a bed like we always do, like we’ve always done, but he was on the far side of it when I turned the lights off. I thought something was wrong but he wouldn’t tell me, and I was starting to fall asleep when I felt him cuddle up to me and his lips landed right here-” he pointed to the corner of his mouth, his blush furious now. “I think he missed.”  
  
Woojin saw Seungmin’s eyebrows twitch this time, and judging by how there hadn't been any snoring in the past few minutes Woojin knew he was awake, listening. Hyunjin still hadn’t noticed.  
  
“I don’t know if he was conscious of it or not, but all I keep thinking about is that I wish he was. Did he mean to kiss me? Was he dreaming it was someone else? Was he waiting until I fell asleep? I don’t know, hyung. I don’t have any answers and it’s eating away at me.”  
  
Woojin, despite his gentle nature, was angry. Not incredibly so, but he was irritated enough with the way Seungmin was dealing with their relationship. He made a decision.  
  
“Hyunjin, it’s getting late. You should stay over. I’ll text your mom.”  
  
The raven-haired boy flinched, glancing at the redhead on his lap. “But I just told you what happened last-”  
  
“No, not with him. You’re sleeping on my bed.” Woojin smiled. “It’s been a while since I’ve had someone to cuddle me.”  
  
Hyunjin saw a chance and immediately pounced on it. He smirked. “Maybe you should tell Chan-hyung.”

Woojin had let his guard down. “Shush, just go change. You know where my clothes are, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”  
  
He helped lift Seungmin off Hyunjin’s lap so he could go to his room. As soon as Hyunjin was out of earshot, he dropped him back on the couch.  
  
“What is wrong with you? You kissed him and you didn’t even own up to it? The poor boy’s going crazy, Seungmin. He loves you.”  
  
The redhead rubbed the back of his neck, guilty and dreading Woojin’s lecture. “I was half-asleep. I didn’t know if that actually happened or not, it felt like a dream.” He cringed at his poor choice of words.  
  
“A dream?” Woojin crossed his arms, disbelief clear on his face.  
  
“Yes, a dream.”  
  
“And were you kissing Hyunjin in this ‘dream’?”  
  
Silence.  
  
“That’s what I thought. Seungmin, please think about this. I support both of you, but either let him know how you really feel or let him down gently so he can move on. It’s been way too long.”  
  
Woojin held Seungmin’s shoulders and made eye contact. “I’m telling you this because I want you to be happy, and he makes you happy. _Let_ yourself be happy.” He stood up and ruffled his younger brother’s hair. “Goodnight, Min.”  
  
Seungmin stared at the floor, wondering if he was blessed or cursed with having a brother that was so attentive. He whispered goodnight before going to his own room.  
  
Woojin found Hyunjin already snuggled in the many blankets, making space for him. He switched off the light and settled in. Hyunjin hugged his back and slept soundly within minutes while Woojin stared at the guitar in the corner. He hoped the moon didn’t mind that he wasn’t going to sing tonight. He closed his eyes, wrapping Hyunjin’s arms tighter around himself.  
  
He thought about Hyunjin’s words. This wasn’t something he could ask of Chan, even though he knew Chan wouldn’t think twice about it. He thought about his own reaction to it, and he just couldn’t do that to himself. He fell asleep wondering where their relationship actually stood.  
  
Next door, the man with the soft, curly hair and dimples fell asleep amidst a puddle of blankets near his balcony, listening for a song that didn’t come. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, things won't end like this, I promise. Sometimes you just need a little push to do things, and Seungmin is still figuring that out.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments!! This fic wouldn't be here without your support, so thank you for reading <3
> 
> You can reach me on twitter @wonpilsdimples for sneak peeks of upcoming chapters and if you have suggestions don't hesitate to DM me c:
> 
> (there's also a Changlix Social Media AU if you're into that kind of thing) 
> 
> See you soon!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family meetings, spontaneous plans, and the benefits of (not) sleeping alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the written equivalent of a filler episode so you know I'm alive (the actual reason is in the end notes lmao)

“You know, Jeongin, if you’re going to call a family meeting, you should usually do it at your own house,” muttered Seungmin as he carefully traversed the sea of limbs flooding his living room before sitting on the floor next to Hyunjin, who immediately rested his head on his shoulder.

Jeongin rolled his eyes, pouring himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the dining room table. He could trust Woojin not to complain about his sudden appearance, but sometimes he felt guilty about taking advantage of his endless hospitality.

The meeting had been planned hastily, and it left the couches on a first-come-first-serve basis. Minho didn’t bother hiding his excitement when he was crammed into the loveseat between Felix and Jisung, but Felix, on the other hand, could do without watching his brother gush over the other boy. It wasn’t all bad, though. Changbin was on the floor with his back resting between Felix’s legs, his neck enduring a painful but oddly satisfying massage from the blonde’s hands.

“But why were we invited?” mused Changbin. His eyes were closed but he flinched occasionally whenever Felix was a little too forceful.

Jisung’s eyes lit up. “Are we family, too?”

Jeongin shrugged, a deadpan look on his face. “Well, duh. Chan-hyung looked like he wanted to adopt me from the moment we met, so you’re family by association. And besides-” he glanced at Minho, Woojin, and Felix, “I think you’ve been a part of it for a while now.”

Woojin tried to ignore the way Chan not-so-subtly grinned at him. “Get to the point, Jeonginie. What’s going on?” He sat cross-legged next to Changbin, patting his knee whenever he winced.

Jeongin cleared his throat. “I may or may not have reserved tickets to a Day6 concert.”

“You did _what_?”

“I love them!”

“I’ve been trying to see them for years.”

Minho raised an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?”

Jisung looked between Minho and Jeongin, suddenly afraid of the boy’s power.

Jeongin smiled innocently, “Ah, hyung, you know me so well. My mom’s friend works at the venue, so I reserved the tickets. All of you except Seungmin-hyung have to pay, though.”

The redhead looked around as if it was a joke he wasn’t in on. “What do you mean?”

“Romeo-hyung here already paid for your ticket,” he pointed at the black tuft of hair poking out from behind a pillow.

Seungmin moved the pillow away to show his face, Hyunjin’s cheeks blushing madly. He was finally able to make eye contact and the redhead couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “You bought me a Day6 ticket? But why?”

Hyunjin took a deep breath and held both of Seungmin’s hands, ignoring Jeongin’s fake gagging in the background. “I know you’ve dreamed of going to one of their concerts for a long time and since your birthday is coming up I thought-”

He was cut off by Seungmin’s hug, which according to everyone else had been more of a tackle. Hyunjin’s back hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud and he felt dizzy. Was it caused by the tight hug he’d been trapped in? Or the excited “thankyouthankyouthankyou” mumbled into his shoulder? He couldn’t tell. Seungmin pulled away when Minho cleared his throat.

“First of all, we’re still here, and second of all, let the boy _breathe._ ”

Changbin chuckled under his breath and stood in front of Hyunjin.

A wink from the raven-haired boy and Chan realized what was happening. “Cover your eyes! He's going to act cute.” He lunged at the nearest person and covered their face with his hands.

Changbin pouted, poking his own puffed cheeks. “But Binnie Binnie Changbinnie wants a ticket. Can Jinnie Jinnie Hyunjinnie buy him one?”

He received a few confused chuckles, several disgusted groans, and a pillow to the stomach coming from Jisung’s direction. Hyunjin just stared in shock.

Seungmin glared at Changbin. "Buy your own ticket, hyung."

Hyunjin laughed, throwing an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders. “Sorry, Changbin-hyung, my best friend takes priority.”

Felix picked up a pillow and threw it at the back of Seungmin’s head. “Try not to look too smug, Min,” he mused.

The younger boy yelped, turning around with a raised fist but a stern glance from Woojin shut that down.

“Wait,” Jisung looked panicked, quickly doing calculations in his head. “As much as we want to go to the concert, it makes paying rent a little difficult this month.”

Chan stretched his arms above his head, yawning. “Don’t worry about that, Jisung. You and Changbin go.”

Jeongin protested. “Hyung, I’ll pay for-”

“I’m staying, too,” cut in Woojin, smiling sympathetically. 

“Chan and I have plans.”

Minho coughed, catching on. “It’s really funny that you’re busy that day considering Jeongin hasn’t even said a date yet.”

Woojin pursed his lips, unable to defend himself. He felt something brush against his leg and realized Chan had slid his phone to him across the carpet, the screen open to the notes section with a script for him to read. He nodded at Chan and saw the flash of a thumbs-up in return. He gave the screen a quick glance and turned it off, addressing Minho’s observation nonchalantly. “I know the concert is in two weeks, but we already bought the movie tickets online. Neither of us said anything because we didn’t think you’d want to see a boring-” he panicked, forgetting the line, “uh, a boring sports movie.” He seemed content with his improvisation, but a slow shake of Chan’s head let him know he had made a mistake.

Changbin gasped, offended. “Hey, I like sports! You guys just didn’t want us around, did you? I see how it is.”

Jisung laughed into his hand quietly. Felix gave him a questioning look which Jisung answered with, “Changbin-hyung likes sports but that doesn’t mean he’s good at them.”

Felix hummed, a giggle creeping into his voice. “Well if he’s as good at sports as he is at skateboarding, then I believe you.”

Changbin glanced down at him, pouting his lips. “You didn’t really let me try, now did you?”

The blonde squished his cheeks between his hands, quietly observing the way Changbin’s eyes glistened as he stared back at Felix.

Minho huffed. “Can we deal with one annoying couple at a time, please?”

Hyunjin pointed at him, “Jisung is _literally_ sitting in your lap, hyung.”

The boy in question shrugged, leaning back so Minho could continue stroking his hair. “What’s your point? Seungmin tackled you to the ground.”

“Alright, enough,” said Chan, an unamused look on his face. “To make things clear, you guys go to the concert in two weeks, and Woojin and I will go to the movies. Do you have transportation there?”

Jeongin raised his hand reflexively, Chan’s stern voice reminding him of a teacher. “Yes, I have it covered.” Hyunjin snickered and reached over to lower Jeongin’s hand.

The younger boy smiled sheepishly, “I think that’s about everything I wanted to say. Can we go have our sleepover now?” He looked at Minho expectantly, who was still busy combing his fingers through Jisung’s hair.  

“You’re having a sleepover? In your apartment?” questioned Woojin. He counted everyone in the room, quickly reaching the conclusion that Minho and Felix’s parents wouldn’t get much rest if they were subjected to the kids’ bickering and laughter.

Minho raised his head to answer Woojin, his cat-like grin gracing his lips. “Yeah, are you coming?”

“Your parents are home, aren’t they? They won’t sleep if all of you are there, so why don’t you stay here?” Woojin offered. Jeongin perked up at that, and something told Woojin that he should have thought it through when his eyes lit up.

 

* * *

  

The apartment was quiet with Changbin and Jisung gone, Chan thought. Even when they were asleep and everything was silent save for the occasional snore, Chan felt comfort just knowing they were there.

It was two in the morning now and he had slept fine for a while, but the deafening silence made the quiet knocks on the door sound like heavy blows. He rubbed his eyes and padded over to it, opening the door without wondering who could be on the other side.

Woojin clutched a pillow to his chest and looked a little worse for wear. Chan stood aside and let him in, closing the door quickly.

“I know I invited them over and it was alright at first but now-” Woojin blurted, “it’s not that they’re loud but they just won’t stop talking and I’ve been tossing and turning.”

Chan raised his hands and motioned for him to slow down.

Woojin inhaled deeply. “I can’t sleep.”

“I can help with that,” Chan mumbled in his sleepy daze, tugging a stunned Woojin by the sleeve. He nudged his bedroom door open with his foot and belly flopped onto his bed, pulling the blankets aside for Woojin who stood frozen.

“I’ll be fine on the couch,” is what Woojin had wanted to say to him, but the weary look on his face told him he wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. He gave in, placing his pillow by Chan’s head and climbing in next to him. Chan faced Woojin and found that he had already been staring, an amused look on his face.

“You're really happy for someone who looks like they haven’t slept.”

“I haven’t slept _alone_ in a long time,” Chan hummed, “and to be honest, I really didn’t want to. I’m glad you showed up.”

Woojin nodded, the pillowcase rustling under his head. “Just sleep, then. I’ll be here.” He watched Chan’s kitten smile relax as he fell asleep, and without the kids’ hushed whispers to keep him awake, rest finally found him.

 

* * *

 

Chan felt unusually warm. Typically, he would kick off his covers in his sleep and wake up cold, flailing around to find his blankets. But that wasn’t the case this morning. He was wrapped in a soft blanket, his socks were still on his feet, and Woojin’s face was tucked into his chest.

Wait.

He looked down, his chin only centimeters away from Woojin’s hair. Chan was suddenly afraid his palpitating heart would wake him, but after a few moments decided Woojin was a heavy sleeper. Carefully, without moving too much, he managed to grab his phone off his nightstand and found two messages from Jisung.

**Jisungie: We all went out to eat, just in case you freak out because we’re gone!! I hope you had a nice sleep lol**

**Jisungie: oh btw Seungmin said Woojin-hyung likes cinnamon in his pancakes so… <3 **

Chan set his phone back down and stared at the ceiling, realizing the ulterior motives behind Jisung's words. He did plan to make breakfast, as usual, but Woojin had thrown a leg over him at some point and Chan found it difficult to leave without waking him. But then again, Woojin was warm and it was still early, so he thought a few more minutes of sleep couldn't hurt. He closed his eyes and dozed off, already far gone by the time Woojin wrapped his arms around his back.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I WAS GONE FOR SO LONG ;-; I just started college as a full-time student and writer's block + little free time is just one of the reasons why I couldn't update 
> 
> This chapter was really short but it serves as the calm before the storm... I'll let you wonder what that means
> 
> Finally, I want to thank everyone who has left kudos, commented, waited for chapters, and even DMed me on twitter just to tell me how much you love this fic <3 if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be writing :') I'll admit I work faster if memes are involved so if you have me on twitter, you know what to do


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Storm

_His side of the bed is empty_ , thought Chan. The covers were still tucked around him and he realized he had taken up most of the space on the bed. The wrinkled, lavender-colored pillow next to him was the only evidence that Woojin had been there last night. Chan reprimanded himself for how quick he was to get used to things, going so far as to calling the left side Woojin’s side.

It’s not like Jisung and Changbin hadn’t slept in his bed before; their sleepovers tended to be impromptu and frequent, usually under the circumstance of a thunderstorm and Jisung’s reluctance to sleep alone.

This was different.

It felt like more than just platonic company, and he didn’t realize it until he missed the warmth of Woojin’s arms on the small of his back. Chan reached out for the lavender pillow, tugging it close to his chest. He was sure of what he felt now, but the question was whether Woojin reciprocated his feelings or not. Chan sighed deeply. Worry bubbled in the pit of his stomach but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel excited. It was an unusual, bittersweet nervousness. He squeezed the soft, worn fabric, his fingertips tingling at the thought of Woojin who conveniently walked into the room at that exact moment.

The older man was much too preoccupied with the breakfast plates and mugs he balanced in his hands to notice Chan flinging his pillow down. He had gone back home -or next door, really- to change, as his pajamas were replaced with black sweatpants and a white long sleeved shirt. He smiled warmly at Chan, motioning for him to sit up so he could place his plate in his lap.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up,” he chuckled softly, setting the mug on the nightstand. “I couldn’t figure out how to work your coffee machine so I went home and used mine instead.”

Chan rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “You know, I would have helped you if you had woken me up, Woojin.” He took a sip from the mug, the hot liquid soothing his sore throat. He hadn’t noticed it was sore and realized there was only one explanation. He hummed and Woojin looked at him curiously.

“Did I snore last night?”

Woojin nodded without a trace of hesitation on his face, but the smile in his eyes assured Chan that he didn’t think too much about it. “Yeah, but I’m sure I almost cuddled you to death so I guess we’re even.” He took a seat next to Chan and rested his back against the headboard, happily digging into his food.

It was the same breakfast of eggs and bacon, but Chan felt like more care had been put into his own plate. Presentation is everything, he knew that, but he also knew that he tended to read into things. He had woken up particularly vulnerable that morning, so he decided to let it go. As he ate, it dawned on him that he hadn’t gone grocery shopping.

“Where did you get bacon from? There wasn’t any in the fridge last night,” asked Chan.

Woojin rolled his eyes, pointing at the wall behind them. “My house, obviously. Oh and-” he paused, smiling, “Seungmin said Changbin told him you like your bacon crispy, so I hope it was alright.”

“I swear these kids are conspiring against us, Woojin.” Chan laughed softly, “Jisung told me you like cinnamon pancakes; I think they wanted us to make breakfast together.”

Woojin snorted, taking a sip from his own mug. He had finished his food already and was just waiting for Chan so he could take the dishes away. “Funny how they didn’t wait for us to wake up and left.”

“I think they wanted us to be alone on purpose.”

The lull in conversation made the room feel stuffy and stagnant. Woojin sighed, looking at the heavy curtain covering the balcony door.

Chan followed his line of sight.

“You can open it if you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

He shoved the thick curtain aside, its rings rattling the metal rod it hung from. Woojin slid the door open and inhaled deeply. The potted jasmine hanging from another neighbor’s balcony was particularly fragrant that morning, and Chan noticed Woojin’s lips curl into a smile.

Wispy grey clouds rushed about in the sky, casting momentary shadows on Woojin’s face. The fall breeze picked up briskly and blew his hair into his eyes.

Woojin took a step backward and bumped into a keyboard, accidentally setting off a few keys. Chan laughed and finished the rest of his coffee before gathering the rest of the dirty dishes. “We can continue working on the music if you want. Just let me shower first, yeah?” he grinned, content with how comfortable Woojin looked in his room. His presence was calming and Chan didn’t want him to leave just yet.

Woojin nodded, taking a seat on a stool facing the keyboard. He stretched his fingers before warming up with a few scales on the piano. The older man sensed a gaze on his cheek and turned slowly, his eyes narrowing. “I thought you were going to shower.”

Chan felt his face grow warm; he’d been caught. “Are you nervous about me watching you play or something?”

Woojin looked down, his own blush creeping up his cheeks. “No, I just remembered I might’ve drooled on your chest so you should go change.”

Chan shook his head, deciding instead to wash their used plates. A shower wouldn’t clear his mind, he realized, if the culprit of his butterflies would be there waiting for him to come out.

 

* * *

 

Woojin hummed along to the tune in his head, gently dragging his fingers across the keyboard piano. He was in the middle of his sixth improvisation by the time Chan returned with a white towel draped around his soaked neck.

“You look like you’ve made yourself at home,” Chan mused. He hauled a leather stool next to Woojin before propping up his laptop on a nearby desk.

Woojin raised an eyebrow at him, not missing the teasing edge in the other’s voice. “Well, it did take you a while to get back, Chan. What do you even do in there?”

“I deep-condition, for your information.” Chan stuck his tongue out at him before setting up his production software and opening the file they had started on a few weeks before.

The other took note of the many drafts on the computer, but what caught his attention were the titles of said tracks.

“Is that a song you’re working on?”

Chan hummed for a moment, fumbling with the wires as he connected the piano to his computer. “Which one?”

Woojin leaned onto him so he could point at the screen, resting his head on his shoulder. “That one. ‘Cinnamon Coffee.’ Wait a minute-” he checked the date it was last opened, “all of these are recent files. You’ve been writing songs again?” He grinned.

Chan closed the tab before Woojin could read the rest of the titles. “A few, yeah. Ever since you started coming over to work on your song, I’ve been getting ideas for lyrics and melodies.”

Woojin sat back. It was weird to think he had such an impact on Chan’s creative process, but it’s not like the dimpled man hadn’t influenced his own songwriting, either. His songbook was starting to run out of pages. He cleared his throat. “What changed?”

Chan spun around to face him. “Do you remember the advice you gave me that day you found me at the park?”

“I remember saying you could try writing a different type of song, but that’s all I can recall,” he furrowed his brow.

“It worked,” Chan avoided his gaze, turning back to the computer. “Once I started thinking about how I feel now instead of trying to remember how I’ve felt before, some things just clicked.” He chuckled softly. “Thanks, Woojin.”

“So...what do you feel now?”

The curly-haired man laughed awkwardly. “I- uh- I’m still thinking about it.”

“I think the five songs you wrote mean you at least have  _something_ figured out. What does ‘Cinnamon Coffee’ sound like? What’s it about?” Woojin was intrigued and had no intention of letting it go.

Chan sighed, deciding to give in and explain as much as he could without giving himself away. “It’s an acoustic ballad. I don’t usually make slow songs but this one just seemed right, like it only worked if it was mellow and soothing.” He smiled as he remembered what it sounded like. “I even got Jisung to play the guitar for me. He was really excited.”

“You’re in love.”

Chan stiffened. “What- what do you- that’s not even a question,” he stammered. “You said it like it was a fact.”

Woojin studied his face. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

Chan busied himself with the settings on his laptop, desperately wanting the subject to change. “I don’t know if I’d call it love yet, but it’s getting there. We should keep working on the song.”

The older man nodded, sensing he wanted to drop the topic. “Am I singing today or is it just melody work?”

Chan seemed more relaxed at this point, his mind going into production mode. “I think we’ve got the track in a good place, we just need vocals now. Do you want to record a guide or do you want to just go for it? How does your voice feel?”

Woojin’s eyes widened. He hadn’t been drinking nearly enough water and he wasn’t warmed up at all. He hesitated though, knowing that if they weren’t recording today he would have to go home. There wasn’t an excuse to stay but he didn’t want to go, either. “My throat doesn’t feel the best right now if I’m being honest. Do you want to try singing it?”

“You want me to sing?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t heard you sing, Chan.”

 _That’s a lie._ Chan’s subconscious nipped at him. He wanted Woojin to know it was him on the balcony, that it was him who he shared those melodies and dreamy sighs with. But admitting to it also meant admitting  _why_ he hadn’t said anything before, and it was a confession he wasn’t ready to make yet. He couldn’t ruin what’s between them, whatever it may be.

He shook his leg under the desk. “I’m more of a rapper, Woojin.” He had the gut feeling he’d been caught. The older man tilted his head and gave a short, abrupt laugh. _Damn_ , Woojin was more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

“I know you’re lying but it’s alright, Chan, we’ll do it another day. There’s no rush.” He stretched his arms above his head and breathed deeply, not letting the tension, which hadn’t been there before, get to him. “So, what should we do now?”

The plethora of ideas running through Chan’s head nearly drove him dizzy with the possibilities, ranging from a catnap on the couch to borrowing Changbin’s watercolors to paint each other. Instead, he said nothing, distracted by Woojin’s gentle hands coaxing a familiar song out of the piano keys. It was a song Jisung had played so many times Chan learned it without realizing until he hummed it word for word.

“Interesting how you’ll hum but you won’t sing,” Woojin teased. He took his hands off the piano and waited.

It hit Chan all at once. Guitars, pianos, sunsets, swings, and a confession. It was “When You Love Someone” by Day6.  

“Woojin, are you trying to tell me something?” Chan rested an elbow on the desk and leaned forward. His smug grin didn’t go unnoticed, but Woojin’s surprised expression showed more false innocence than anything.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” came the older man’s reply. He definitely knew. “Maybe you’re reading into things.”

Chan scoffed, “Maybe you’re easy to read.” He leaned close enough to him that he could see the shadow of stubble on his jawline. He had hoped Woojin would flinch back, but it looked like he came even closer.

Woojin dropped his gaze to his lips a few times. “Can you guess what I’m thinking about?” he murmured, his voice a low rumble.

 _I know I started it but I can’t handle this, Woojin,_  thought the curly-haired man. He swallowed hard. “Is there something on my lips?”

Woojin scoffed, slouching back. “Either you’re a horrible mind reader or you’re scared.”

Chan bit his tongue. Woojin wasn’t wrong in the slightest. He had been centimeters away from his face but he was paralyzed by the fear of what would happen next. “Maybe both,” Chan stuttered. He fidgeted with the ring on his pinky. “Do you want to watch a movie? I don’t think the kids have gotten back yet.”

The older man looked at him quizzically.

Chan backtracked. “Only if you don’t already have plans.”

Woojin’s eyes scanned his face, his expression unreadable. “Are you sure?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The guitarist shrugged, glancing behind Chan’s head. “I just- things got a little awkward for a minute. I thought you were uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine, really,” Chan smiled. “So… is that a yes?”

Woojin grinned. “Of course, but aren’t we going to the movie theater next week? It’s our alibi for not going to the concert.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving the apartment,” the curly-haired man deadpanned, standing up. He held his hand out to Woojin. “Jisung’s extensive Ghibli Collection is sitting in the living room.”

The taller man made no effort to get up but clasped Chan’s hand anyway. “Does he have _Princess Mononoke_?”

Chan tugged but he still wouldn’t budge. “We can find out. Come on,” he pouted.

Woojin shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but Chan beat him to it.

“I can’t carry you.”

The older man squinted his eyes. “How did you- Oh _please_ , Chan, you can do anything with those guns,” he snickered, pointing at his hard-muscled arms.

Chan exhaled deeply, dropping Woojin’s hand and turning his back to him. He squatted. “Fine. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

Woojin got up from his seat but hesitated as he stood behind him. “You don’t have to, you know.” Chan’s eyes were smiling as he looked over his shoulder and Woojin felt his heart grow warm when he saw how they sparkled.

“You don’t have to stay with me today either, but you chose to, anyway.” He tapped his own shoulder. “I’ve got you.”

Woojin sighed. “Alright. Ready?” he said as he wrapped his arms around Chan’s neck, getting ready to jump.

Chan nodded and Woojin hopped onto his back, Chan’s arms gripping his thighs effortlessly. He wasn’t used to carrying someone of his own stature, however, so he kept adjusting the placement of his hands.

Woojin stiffened, “Chan.”

“That was your butt, sorry,” the curly-haired man cringed. He moved his hands lower, “That’s better.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach the sofa in the living room, much to Woojin’s dismay. Chan crouched down and shrugged him off his back, opening a drawer under the television stand to look for the movie. Woojin settled himself on the couch.

He looked at the ceiling while he waited, arms folded behind his head. “It’s been a long time since I’ve watched that movie. I can’t watch it with Hyunjin around because he hates the part when they kill-”

“Woah, spoiler,” Chan chided. The T.V. turned on and the opening credits filled the screen. Chan padded back to the couch and plopped down next to Woojin. “All I remember is that the prince was cute and war is a horrible thing.”

Woojin glared at him before rolling his eyes. “Ashitaka? You can do better than that.”

Chan snorted, raising his eyebrows. “Are you jealous? He’s a fictional character, Woojin.”

The other man simply stared at the screen, pressing his tongue against his cheek. “Ashitaka didn’t get a piggyback ride from Bang Chan, that’s for sure.”

“You are unbelievable.”

“And _you_ ,” Woojin faced him, “grabbed my ass.”

The color drained from Chan’s face. “I- I said I was sorry.”

Woojin’s shoulders shook with laughter. “I wasn’t asking for an apology, Chan, I know it was an accident.”

“Do you enjoy seeing me flustered? Is this fun for you?” Chan whined. He crossed his arms and sank back into the couch.

“The answer is yes to both of those questions.” Woojin snaked his arms around Chan’s torso, resting his head on his shoulder. “You can get back at me if you want.”

He laughed sarcastically. “Oh, well, if you insist…” Chan pressed his lips to his temple.

Woojin hid his face in his hands. “I didn’t think you would do that.” His cheeks were pink underneath his splayed fingers.

Chan couldn’t conceal his smugness. “You’re blushing.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re really blushing.”

“Let me live.”

“You look pretty in pink.”

“I guess you’re not a coward after all,” Woojin muttered, closing his eyes. He wasn’t paying attention to the movie anyway. “Can I tell you something? I just want to take a nap.”

Chan rubbed Woojin’s arm comfortingly. “Then take a nap. Do you want me to get you a blanket?”

Woojin shook his head, “Stay here.”

Chan hummed, realizing this wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position for Woojin’s neck. He’d be sore when he woke up. “I’ll stay but you have to move.” Chan decided to lie down across the sofa while Woojin stood aside. He motioned for Woojin to rest his head on his chest.

Woojin approached him tentatively, “You want me to nap on you?”

“I’ll stroke your hair.”

“Deal.” The older man tucked himself between Chan and the back cushions, laying his head on his slowly rising chest. He swung a leg over both of Chan’s. “Is this okay?” he whispered.

The curly-haired man nodded even though Woojin couldn’t see him. “Mhm, just sleep.” He played with Woojin’s hair until his breath evened out.

It was fine at first. Chan lowered the volume on the television so it was no more than a hushed buzz filling the space between Woojin’s quiet snores. Chan’s fingers stroked his hair countless times, untangling the soft strands. There was an ache in his chest and it wasn’t caused by the weight of the man on it.

The scene was the very definition of serenity. On the outside, everything was alright.

But there was a sob caught in Chan’s throat and he didn’t let it escape for fear of waking Woojin.

He loved him. He loved him so much that he was too afraid to say it out loud. So much that he hadn’t realized how hard he had fallen. So much that it hurt.

Everything he wanted lay dozing on top of him.

Chan closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, willing his heart to stop pounding.

His distractions were effective, he thought, but they all led back to the same toothy grin that had started the whirlwind of affection in the first place. All the songs Woojin pointed out were about him. Most of them were unfinished and in need of refining, but the emotion was there. All the words that Chan couldn’t say to his face were there.

He sighed. He needed to finish them as soon as possible so he could show them to Woojin and get an answer. He planned to download the songs onto a CD and drop it off at his apartment like a grenade while he hid in the safety of his own bedroom. A nagging voice in his head told him that the possibility of rejection was very real; it was the same voice that stopped him from kissing Woojin on the lips earlier. The lines in their relationship had been blurred from the beginning and now they had come back to bite him.

Chan stilled when he heard echoes of footsteps reach the front door, which swung open not too long after. He really hoped Seungmin wasn’t with them; he wasn’t prepared to explain how they’d ended up on the couch like that.

“Think about it, Changbinnie-hyung. We can go on double-dates now! It’s fate. All we need is Channie- oh god, he’s right there,” Jisung’s voice dropped to a whisper as he and Changbin walked closer to the couch.

“Channie’s awake, too,” the curly-haired man mumbled, groaning at the wide grin on Jisung’s face. Changbin looked a little too smug for his liking.

“Don’t talk about yourself in the third person. It’s weird, hyung,” Jisung wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Chan rolled his eyes. “Binnie does it all the time.”

“That’s because it’s cute when I do it,” Changbin snorted. He raised an eyebrow at his hyung, pointing at Woojin. “So, how did it go?”

“He’s comfortable, as you can see. What did you guys do, anyway? You went somewhere else after breakfast, didn’t you?”

Changbin and Jisung looked at each other, not sure where to start.

“Well, first we went to get breakfast. Felix and Binnie-hyung were arguing over who would pay and it was getting kind of annoying so Felix kissed him and slid his own debit card to the waiter. It was really funny, you had to be there!” Jisung babbled.

“You guys left the both of us here.”

The younger boy deflated slightly. “Ah, right. We went shopping afterward and Minho-hyung was stopped a few times by random photographers since they thought he was a model.”

Changbin side-eyed him. “Funny how you didn’t mention to Chan-hyung that you were jealous.”

Chan gasped, sitting up as much as he could with the sleeping man’s weight on him. “Jisung? Possessive? Do tell, Changbinnie.”

“I’m not saying he was rude to the photographers, but he was unusually abrasive.”

Jisung scoffed. “In my defense, we were holding hands and those guys kept telling me to step aside so they could take the shot.”

Chan hummed, taking his words into account. “I can see where you’re coming from. It’s rude of them, too.”

Jisung rubbed the back of his neck, eager to drop the topic. “Anyway, Jeongin saw a few of his friends while walking past the shops and he ditched us.”

Changbin nodded. “Then it was just Seungmin, Hyunjin, Minho-hyung, Jisung, Felix, and me. I think all the couples started annoying Jeongin so I can see why he left,” he chuckled. “We got lunch, walked around for a while, and now we’re here.”

“Wait, what time is it?” Chan blurted. Neither he nor Woojin had eaten since breakfast.

Jisung checked his phone. “It’s almost 5 pm” He looked puzzled, “Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“I- I don’t know how long we’ve been sitting here for. I didn’t check the time when I woke up, and I didn’t check it when we ate, either.”

The younger boy sighed. “It looks like you lost track of time while you were stuck in the confines of your own melancholy again.”

He said nothing.

“I can’t believe I’m right, Chan-hyung. Is everything okay?” Jisung bit his lip in worry.

Chan took in a shaky breath but said nothing.

Changbin knelt down in front of Chan and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “What happened?”

“I realized I need to finish a project, and it’d be best if I’m not there when Woojin wakes up.”

The raven-haired boy nodded slowly, trying to understand. “You don’t want him to leave.”

Chan sighed, looking at his fingers still tangled in Woojin’s hair. “I know, but I have to do this without him.”

“How can we help, hyung?” Jisung asked, ready for direction.

“Can you help me get him home? I just need you to open the doors.”

Changbin nodded while Jisung went to knock on Seungmin’s door. Chan carefully moved Woojin onto the couch before tucking his arms underneath him. He grunted as he picked him up, but he was confident he could get the dozing man home before accidentally dropping him. _He’s the heaviest sleeper I’ve ever seen and Jisung slept through a fire alarm once_ , Chan thought to himself.

The distance between their apartments was a short one. Seungmin stood near the kitchen looking somewhat confused as Chan smiled while carrying Woojin in.  

“He, uh, fell asleep,” Chan mumbled.

The redhead laughed. “You didn’t try waking him up?” Seungmin leaned against the doorframe, Hyunjin walking past him to help Chan with the bedroom door.

“It’s good that you didn’t. It’d be like poking a bear,” Hyunjin muttered as he led Chan to Woojin’s bed. “Hyung takes his naps very seriously.”

Chan set him down gently, draping the blanket over him. He noticed the lavender pillow under Woojin’s head was missing its pair, the other sitting back on his own bed. “I’m starting to think I should wake him since he’s been sleeping for a long time. He might not be able to sleep tonight.”

Hyunjin shook his head, standing behind Chan to pat his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Chan-hyung. He sleeps really well so he’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Hyunjin,” Chan gave him a small smile before stepping toward the door. “I think I’m going now-”

The tall boy caught his arm and pulled him back, tucking him into a long hug. Chan yelped in surprise but embraced him.

“Sorry, you looked down and I thought you could use a hug,” Hyunjin pouted.

Chan mumbled into his chest.

“You’re a good kid.”

Hyunjin grinned. “What was that?”

Chan pulled back and walked out of the room, the younger boy closely following. “I said why are you 60% leg? You’re so tall.”

Seungmin joined them as they reached the front door, wrapping his arms around Hyunjin. “It’s the dog food.”

Chan’s hand froze on the doorknob. He did a double-take. “Hyunjin, you eat dog food?”

“That’s not true! Seungmin, I swear to-” he spun around to poke Seungmin’s side. “I just taste Kkami’s treats to make sure they’re good enough for her.”

The curly-haired man raised his eyebrows, “So you _do_ eat dog food.”

Seungmin nodded solemnly. “It’s his only flaw.”

The black-haired boy took note of that. “You think I’m almost flawless then?”

Seungmin stammered and Chan cleared his throat, taking that as his cue to leave. “Have a nice night, guys.”

Chan made his way back, but the rest of the evening was a haze. He didn’t recall getting into bed, yet somehow he remembered clutching a pillow to his chest before his eyelids fell shut.

 

* * *

 

“You need me to talk to him?”

Changbin sighed. “Normally, hyung would listen to us, but now he just brushes us off. I’m afraid he’s overworking himself.”

Woojin folded his arms, pensive. “Do you know what caused this by any chance?”

“I just know he’s been stressed,” Changbin bit his lip. He wasn’t sure if he should be doing this, but Chan’s sudden stoicism left him no choice.

He was worried. They all were.

The older man racked his brain for anything that could have upset him. “He was fine a week ago. Did something happen?”

The raven-haired boy shook his head. “He’s been like this since Saturday.”

It dawned on him. “Since he carried me home?”

Changbin mumbled a reluctant yes. “All he does is eat, sleep, and work now. Jisung and I haven’t seen him much since he stays in his room.”

“But his door is literally twelve steps away from your room,” says Woojin. He and Changbin were sitting on the latter’s bed, far enough that Chan wouldn’t overhear even if he were pressed to the door.

“That’s how you know it’s bad.”

Woojin inhaled deeply, deliberating his next question. “Changbin, do you think it’s because of me?”

The boy pursed his lips. He reached over and patted Woojin’s knee. “At this point, I honestly think that if he’ll listen to anyone, it’s you.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”

Changbin merely ducked his head. “Good luck, hyung.”

Woojin hummed, closing the door behind him as he braced himself before knocking on Chan’s.

No response.

He knocked a second time before turning the knob, which was surprisingly unlocked. “I’m coming in,” he warned.

The room was illuminated by grey light coming in through the glass balcony door, the overcast skies not leaving much room for sunlight but holding the promise of thunder.

Woojin hadn’t been sure what to expect, but he wasn’t prepared to witness the sheer exhaustion evident on Chan’s features. He sat with his back against the rigid headboard and his computer in his lap, a heavy pair of headphones covering his ears. His hair was mussed and uncombed, the brown curls unruly, but his eyes were the part that pained Woojin’s chest. They were cold, dull, and calculating; the glimmer having been replaced by the dark shadows staining the skin under his lashes. He didn’t spare a glance until Woojin sat on the edge of his bed, the dip in the mattress causing Chan to lean against him. He reluctantly removed his headphones as Woojin began to speak.

“We’re worried about you, you know. What’s wrong?” Woojin murmured, treading carefully.

Chan’s voice was rough and gravelly from disuse. “You shouldn’t be in here, Woojin. I’m working on a project. It’s private.”

The older man slowly shook his head. “That’s not all that’s stressing you out, though, is it?” he leaned forward, his gaze not leaving Chan’s own stare.

Silence.

“If this is because we almost kissed, I’m sorry. You can forget it happened if it means you’ll go back to how you were.” Woojin broke eye-contact, opting to look at his hands. “If you’re worried about something else, you know you can tell me, right? Talk to me, Chan. We’re friends.”

Chan’s eyes flickered back to the screen, his jaw tensing the slightest bit. “Maybe we shouldn’t be.”

Woojin felt like the wind was knocked out of him, and as much as he tried to chalk it up to Chan’s exhaustion, he had the sinking feeling that there was some truth to his words.

He cleared his throat. “If that’s how you feel, then I guess I’ll let you keep working. Goodbye.” Woojin wasted no time leaving a place where he wasn’t wanted, and he found himself back in his own kitchen trying to catch his breath.

He didn’t want to be mad; he was more confused than anything. Changbin had brought him in to fix things, and yet it seemed like he made them worse.

It was uncharacteristic of him to get caught up over emotions, but Chan pulled at his heart in ways no one else had. He cared a lot about him and it made it hurt that much more.

There were too many things running through Woojin’s head so he decided to busy himself with the nearest thing: a half-opened bag of flour.

 

* * *

 

“Are you alright? You’ve been kneading that dough for an hour,” questioned Seungmin while he stood in the doorway, curious as to why his brother was being so forceful with the dough.

“Do you want bread or not?” he snapped.

Seungmin raised his eyebrows. “Why are you upset? I didn’t do anything.”

Woojin set the dough on the counter and sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s not you, Seungmin.”

“Then what is it? Wait, you came from next door earlier.” The redhead pulled out his phone. “I’ll ask Changbin-hyung, then-”

“Stay out of it, Min.”

Seungmin looked him sternly. “Not if it’s got you like this.”

The older man washed his hands, setting the dough aside for later. “Leave it alone. Just let me be.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Please.”

Seungmin was silent for a few moments.

“What did Chan-hyung say to you?”

Woojin felt something in him break. “I told you to drop it. Just because you won’t deal with your love life doesn’t mean you should fix mine.”

 _Crap_ . _That went too far_.

The redhead inhaled sharply but said nothing, choosing to bite his tongue and go to his room instead.

Woojin knew better than to throw Hyunjin in his face. He knew better than to yell when he was upset. He knew better. And yet he did it anyway.  

He spent the next twenty minutes laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was bare, plain and simple. Everything he wasn’t.

A sudden knock on the door made his stomach churn, but he got up and opened it anyway. “Seungmin, I’m so sorry-”

He stopped when he saw his eyes rimmed with red and his chin starting to quiver. Nonetheless, Seungmin’s voice was rough but unwavering, “You’re right. I’m scared, hyung. What if things change? What if he gets bored with me? What if I get jealous? What if he’s tired of waiting? I don’t know what’ll happen once we make it official and the thought of it not working out is terrifying. That’s why-” he sobbed.

“Oh, Seungmin,” Woojin clutched him tightly to his chest, as much as he could despite their height difference, anyway. He stroked his hair in an effort to comfort him. “It’s alright, Min. It’s alright.”

The younger boy quieted his sobs enough to reply. “But what if I’m right?”

“Stop thinking about the ‘what ifs’. I don’t think Hyunjin will ever give up on you.” Woojin chuckled to himself. “He loves you too much.”

Seungmin tried to pull away to hide his face but his brother managed to toss him onto the bed before he could leave. “No, you’re staying here. If you say ‘what if’ one more time I’ll flick your forehead.”

The boy shook his head in apprehension.

“Good, so we have a deal.”

Seungmin glared at him jokingly before turning his head toward the balcony.

“Hyung, do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I think your moon is calling out to you.”

It was muffled and distant, but there was a distinct piano nearby. The pianist’s melody was haunting and sustained, echoing in the empty street after the dreary autumn rain. It sounded almost like a voice, but it was too hollow, too wounded to be a person. It would have been harrowing if he hadn’t felt the same. It stopped suddenly, followed by the slamming of a door.

“Min, since when has it been _my_ moon?”

“It’s always been your moon. Scoot over, my feet are cold.” Seungmin rolled over, pulling some of the blankets with him.

Woojin finally willed his eyes shut, and all he could dream of were pale hands that played the piano so longingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've ever written, so hopefully it makes up for the long wait. There is just one chapter left!!! I just want to thank all of you for your love of this fic and especially your patience <3 uni is trying to kick my butt but I'm kicking back lol you can find me on twt @ wonpilsdimple and @ wonpilsdimples :D I love u guys!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -For Mia-

“Why do you sleep like a log? Jeez,” huffed Seungmin as he thwacked a drowsy Woojin with his own pillow in an effort to wake him up. “Get dressed so we can go, hyung.” The redhead pulled off the covers and his older brother tugged them back, rolling onto his side.

“I don’t really feel like going anywhere right now, Min.” He let out a low sigh and shifted his gaze to the balcony. The neighbor’s jasmine plant was bare now, its petals having scattered in the breeze. Maybe he wasn’t the only one missing something. 

Seungmin leaned over him, peering curiously at his face. He bit the inside of his cheek, eyes downcast. “You weren’t listening, were you?” His tone made it more of a statement rather than a question. “It’s about Hyunjin.” 

He fidgeted with the frayed corner of the blanket, avoiding Woojin’s stare. “I need to see him.” 

Woojin raised his eyebrows, the urgency finally dawning on him. “So you want me to drive you to Hyunjin’s house? Does this have anything to do with what we talked about last night?” 

A nod. 

Woojin tried to keep the grin off his face. “Do you even know if he’s awake right now? It’s still pretty early.” 

Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Hyunjin’s awake; he always feeds Kkami at nine in the morning. He’s punctual, you know.” 

“You two know each other so well and it’s irritatingly adorable,” Woojin grumbled as he slid off the bed. 

The younger brother blinked. “What do you mean by that?” 

Woojin hesitated before muttering under his breath. “Sometimes I wish I knew Chan that well. I don’t know what he’s thinking. I didn’t think it was possible to ignore what had been there for months but-” He shook his head. “I don’t want to burden you with this, Min. That’s why I wanted you to stay out of it.” Woojin leaned over and ruffled his brother’s hair. “We can get breakfast on the way there, yeah?” 

“What about afterward instead?” 

The older man squinted his eyes. “Sure, but why?” 

“I already brushed my teeth.”

“I feel like it has something to do with  _ him _ so I’m just not going to ask any questions.” Woojin waved him away, “Go and warm up the car, I’ll be there in a little bit.” 

 

The drive to Hyunjin’s didn’t take more than twenty minutes but to Woojin, who had been driving with a very anxious Seungmin next to him, it seemed like he had been driving for an hour. The redhead kept changing the music, constantly skipping the songs on Woojin’s Ryuichi Sakamoto CD until his brother stopped him and turned the radio on instead. 

Seungmin drummed his fingers on the car door and watched as the houses flit past them. He was ready, he told himself. Hyunjin deserved to know. 

Woojin glanced at him once they stopped at a red light, worry clouding his features. “You okay?” 

“Yeah. But can you stay in the car and look away when we get there?”

That caught Woojin off guard. He laughed abruptly. “What?” 

“Just,” Seungmin crossed his arms, “look away.” 

The stoplight turned green and Woojin eased off the brake. “You’re making this weirder than it has to be, but fine, I won’t look.” 

They soon reached the Hwangs’ driveway and Seungmin took a few minutes to compose himself before going over to knock on the front door. 

He couldn’t help the nervousness bubbling in his stomach when Hyunjin stepped out, a startled but giddy grin on his face. It was clear he had woken up not too long ago since he was still in the sweatpants he’d worn the night before. 

“Morning,” beamed Hyunjin, leaning against the doorway. “I have to admit, I’m kind of surprised to see you this early.” He glanced behind himself. “Do you want to come in?” 

Kkami’s claws clicked across the hardwood floor as she ran past her owner to sniff at Seungmin’s ankles. The small dog barked a few times before deciding her food bowl was more interesting.

The redhead cleared his throat before shaking his head no. “I won’t be here for long. There’s just something I needed to do.” 

Hyunjin furrowed his brow in earnest confusion. “What is it?” 

Seungmin took a deliberate step forward after making sure he wouldn’t step on Kkami, exhaling a shaky breath. He cupped Hyunjin’s face in his hands and leaned in slowly, giving the other boy enough time to react in case he wanted to pull away. 

The raven-haired boy felt his patience run out and closed the gap between their lips. His arms wrapped around Seungmin like it was second nature, and suddenly the time it had taken them to get there didn’t matter. All of his doubts dissipated when Seungmin kissed him back.

The younger boy pulled away first, much to Hyunjin’s dismay, but he knew Seungmin probably wanted to say a few words before anything else. He never acted on an impulse without an explanation. 

The redhead snaked his arms around Hyunjin’s torso and leaned against him. He sighed against his neck. “I’m sorry I made you wait for so long, Hyunjin. I’ve always loved you a lot and now I feel kind of stupid for not showing it. You deserve to know.” 

Hyunjin shook his head, laughing softly. “You’re not stupid, you just needed time. And as much as I love this, I don’t think you thought it through,” he snorted. 

“Why not?” Seungmin pulled back enough to face him properly. 

“We just had our first kiss in front of an audience.” 

Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Kkami doesn’t count.” 

The older boy blushed profusely. “Maybe not, but Woojin-hyung and my mom do.” 

Sure enough, Seungmin looked back and saw Woojin giving them both a thumbs-up. 

“I specifically told him not to look,” he huffed. “You were joking about your mom, though, right?” 

Hyunjin stepped back and glanced to the side. “About that-”

Seungmin peeked around the doorway and found Hyunjin’s mother sitting on a sofa a few feet away from where they stood. She blew the steam away from her teacup before facing Seungmin with a grin. 

“Good morning, Seungmin. Do you and Woojin want to stay for breakfast?” 

The redhead’s cheeks became scarlet but he nodded anyway, his stomach giving him away as it grumbled. 

Hyunjin giggled before stepping out and beckoning Woojin inside.   
  
  


“I told you not to look and what was the first thing you did? You looked.” Seungmin pouted as he and Woojin climbed the stairs back to their apartment. He walked slower than usual and he almost regretted eating two bowls of soup at Hyunjin’s house. Almost. 

“I literally drove you to your boyfriend’s house early in the morning. Let it go, Min. And besides,” Woojin rested his arm across Seungmin’s shoulders when they reached their floor. “Can’t I be happy for you?” 

The boy mumbled a reluctant “yeah” when he realized Woojin had a point; he’d been caught in the middle of their relationship for years. Seungmin cringed as he thought about the awkward moments he put his brother through. “I’m sorry you had to see all of that, though. We’ll try to not make it weird.” 

Woojin laughed, incredulous. “It’s funny that you think it’s not already weird. Just don’t make out in front of me and we’ll be fine.” 

“That goes for you, too, you know,” Seungmin grimaced. The redhead caught a glimpse of something up ahead and froze. “Actually, I’m going upstairs to see what Felix is up to.” 

The older man furrowed his brow. “What did you see?” He followed Seungmin’s line of sight and found a disheveled Chan pacing back and forth in front of their door. 

_ Oh. _

“I think you two need to talk. I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” Seungmin ducked out of his grasp and made his way up the stairwell, leaving his brother and Chan alone in the hallway.

Woojin knew this was coming sooner or later but it didn’t make facing Chan any easier. He steadied himself and approached him carefully, his mind already making up dozens of outcomes that were all destined to end poorly. 

He wasn’t sure what to expect when Chan looked relieved to see him.

“Woojin,” Chan exhaled, tightening his grip on the plastic CD case between his fingers. He had seemed disheveled from far away, but now that they were face to face Woojin could see that he was definitely more well-rested than he had been the day before. He figured Changbin and Jisung must have forced him to sleep after what happened. 

“ _ Neighbor _ ,” came Woojin’s curt reply. He couldn’t help but be petty; if Chan wanted to put distance between them, then Woojin could certainly play that game too. 

The dimpled man winced at that, guilt shadowing his face. “I deserved that but Woojin,” he lowered his voice, “Can we talk?” 

“Is this going to take a while? We shouldn’t-” 

Chan bit the inside of his cheek. “Maybe? I understand if you have something else to do, but this can’t wait. I’ve put it off long enough as it is.” 

He rolled his eyes. “I meant we should go inside,” Woojin motioned to his own apartment. “I don’t exactly want you telling our business in the middle of the hallway.” 

The curly-haired man nodded slowly and followed him through the door. He soon settled himself on the couch next to Woojin, clutching a cushion to his chest. Woojin simply eyed the nondescript CD Chan had carefully placed on the coffee table. He said nothing. 

“First and foremost, I’m sorry about a lot of things. When I said that we shouldn’t be friends? That’s not what I meant and I’m sorry it came out that way. I was exhausted and I snapped at you; there’s no excuse for that.” Chan traced the pattern on the fabric with his fingertips, still not meeting Woojin’s gaze. His voice was full of regret. “I tried to apologize soon after but Changbin told me I had already said enough, and that I should give you some space.” 

“He wasn’t wrong.” Woojin acknowledged him with a slight nod of his head and let Chan continue. 

“I know. But it wasn’t a lie, Woojin.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Chan reached out and gripped Woojin’s arm, his tone more serious than ever. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you just want to be friends. Just friends.” 

“I can’t do that.” His reply came without a trace of hesitation. “But does that mean we can’t be friends at all?” 

Chan had started to retract his hand when Woojin pulled it back, holding onto it with his own. Chan squeezed tight despite his impossibly cold fingers, grateful that the other hadn’t shut him out completely. 

“I don’t want to hurt you in the long run; I care about you too much to do that. I’ve thought about this for months, Woojin, and I always end up at the same bitter conclusion. I fell for you harder than I anticipated and I didn’t realize that until I had you sleeping on top of me and I thought I wouldn’t mind if you stayed with me like that forever. Let’s say we date: it’s good for a few years until we slowly drift apart or one of us falls for someone else. We break up. The kids will be torn. We’ll dance around each other until it’s too painful and someone moves out. I don’t want to end up like that. That’s not fair to Seungmin, Changbin, and Jisung,” he sighed. “It’s not fair to you.”

Woojin gave him a sad smile and Chan braced for the worst. 

“Chan, I love you but you’re altruistic to a fault. Do you want to know what’s really not fair? Tell me where you took your own feelings into account. Or even just tell me where you took my feelings into consideration in your scenario.” He inched closer to the dimpled man. “I appreciate that you care about the others but this isn’t about them.” Woojin gingerly placed his hand on Chan’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb. There was nothing but sincerity in his voice, “Tell me what  _ you _ want.” 

Chan couldn’t trust himself to say what he truly felt. Not now that he’d reached the end of his prepared speech. Not now that Woojin was so close and warm and dizzying. Not now when he could lean in and show him. 

Woojin watched with bated breath as the distance between them disappeared and soft lips grazed his. Chan’s eyes were partially closed and ardent, the complete opposite of the anxious wreck he had been moments ago. He almost questioned where this sudden surge of bravery had come from when he realized he didn’t really care. There were matters more important than that, like Chan’s gentle grip on his jaw and dimples brushing against his skin and lips bringing him in for kiss after kiss after kiss. 

They pulled apart, breathless.

The dimpled man stared in awe as Woojin’s giggles filled the room.

“Don’t even think for a moment that you can get away with not verbally telling me what you want.” 

Chan burrowed his face into Woojin’s shoulder, mumbling softly. 

“I can’t hear you.” Woojin detached himself from Chan only to have his arms immediately wrap around him in a hug. “Chan.”

“You’re so embarrassing. You know what I meant by the kiss,” Chan muttered. 

“That doesn’t mean-” Woojin spoke just below his ear, “That I don’t want to hear you say it.” The older man laughed as he felt goosebumps rise on the nape of Chan’s neck, the latter slapping a hand behind his head in mortification 

“Fine, you jerk. Will you be my boyfriend?” 

Woojin hummed for a bit and the man with curly hair became more anxious with each passing second. “I have a few conditions.” 

Chan stared in disbelief, “You can’t be serious.” He bit his tongue. “You know what? Screw it, I’m desperate. What are your conditions?” 

“I didn’t expect you to acquiesce so quickly but okay,” Woojin grinned. “If you overwork yourself like that again I’ll take it upon myself to contact your mom.” 

“You wouldn’t,” he scoffed and received a raised eyebrow in return.

“Try me.” 

Chan avoided his stare and sighed. “Alright, I get it. What else?”

Woojin’s gaze softened. “Please put yourself first: your health, your emotions, your happiness. Helping others doesn’t always solve your problems. Chan, I’m risking sounding like an idiot but the best way to love me is to love yourself too.” 

A dimpled grin assured him Chan probably did think he was an idiot but loved him just the same. 

”So it’s official?” 

The older man gave him a peck on the cheek. “Yeah. There’s still something else, though.” He eyed the CD on the table. “What is it?” 

Chan gulped. “If you play that CD I will have to leave immediately.” He lunged toward it but his fingers landed on bare wood, the plastic case having been swiped off the table. Woojin dangled the case in front of Chan’s incredulous eyes and raised it in the air, out of his boyfriend’s reach. 

Chan crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going to fight you for it; it’s yours.” He watched as Woojin lowered the CD, an earnest but confused look on his face. 

“Then why make a big deal if I’m going to know what’s on it anyway?” 

The curly-haired man shrugged. “There’s a difference between me singing for you and  _ hearing  _ myself sing for you. I don’t want to be here when you hear it.” 

Woojin’s mouth formed a small “o” when he realized what was on the CD. He found himself grinning as he recalled the files on Chan’s computer; surely at least one of them ended up on here, he thought. He remembered something else from that day too, apart from their almost kiss. 

“I thought you said you didn’t sing,” Woojin squinted his eyes, a teasing edge to his voice. 

“Okay, so that’s the  _ second  _ reason I’m here,” Chan shook his leg anxiously. “And I’m sorry about that too. I felt like too much time had passed and it would’ve been awkward to just come out and say it.” 

“Too awkward to say what?” 

He took a deep breath and mumbled into his hands. Woojin heard a faint “I can’t believe I’m doing this” before Chan snapped his head up. “Can I borrow your guitar?” 

Woojin didn’t respond right away. Jisung had a guitar, he knew that, so he wondered why Chan needed his. He searched Chan’s face for answers. Nothing was ever trivial with him. 

He raised a brow and stood to retrieve the instrument, listening to the muffled footsteps following him to his bedroom. He hadn’t expected Chan to trail after him, much less anticipated hearing the door click shut behind them. 

He picked the guitar up by the neck and handed it to Chan, whose red ears betrayed his otherwise serious expression. 

The dimpled man looked around for a seat across from Woojin and sat down on his desk chair. He sighed when he realized his feet didn’t quite reach the ground. Woojin snickered. 

Chan strummed a few practice chords on the guitar, trying to find the right fingerings. He cleared his throat once he was sure he knew where the notes were but stopped when he noticed Woojin’s curious glance. 

“What?”

“I didn’t know you played guitar.” 

“I don’t,” Chan explained, “I asked Jisung to teach me this song. It’s the only one I know, so don’t laugh if I mess up.” 

Woojin beamed but kept his promise. “I won’t. What song is it?” 

Chan looked down at his fingers and placed them on the first chord. “It’s called ‘Sweet Hurricane’ by Phum Viphurit.”

“Oh, it’s in English,” Woojin muttered. 

Chan laughed abruptly, “That’s not the point, Woojin, just listen.” He glanced at his placement during the opening notes, closing his eyes while he sang: 

 

_ I was sailing alone _

_ You came along _

_ I'm singing the song you wrote _

 

_ You led the way _

_ I couldn't say _

_ Words became lumps in my throat _

 

_ I, I'm loving this sweet hurricane _

_ In time, I know we'll meet once again _

 

Chan adjusted his grip during the interlude between verses, nonchalantly glancing up at Woojin to see if he’d elicited a reaction. His boyfriend watched attentively, eyes fixated on his own. Woojin hid a smirk behind his hand but said nothing. 

He didn’t need to; Chan’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink despite his silence. 

 

_ When you're alone _

_ It's with you, I belong _

 

_ Stories we told _

_ Will never get old _

_ Though the fire's gone cold, you're my flame _

 

_ I, I'm loving this sweet hurricane _

_ In time, I know we'll meet once again _

 

Chan set the guitar on its stand by the balcony, pausing a moment to look through the glass door. The bed creaked. Strong, steady arms wrapped around his waist and held him close, his back pressed against Woojin’s chest. 

“I wanted it to be you.” 

The dimpled man hummed. “You’re not mad?” 

“Mad that you lied? A little. I don’t see why you didn’t say anything sooner,” Woojin confessed, resting his chin on Chan’s shoulder. 

“I didn’t  _ lie, _ I just didn’t tell you it was me. And it’s not like you said anything either.” 

Woojin snorted. “Can you imagine, though? Me saying ‘Hey, I know we like each other and all but there’s this person that sings along with me at night and I might be very attracted to their voice.’ What if it  _ wasn’t  _ you?” He couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. 

Woojin had a point. 

Chan sighed, regretting the awkward start to their relationship. “From now on, can we promise to not keep secrets from each other?” 

“Promise,” Woojin nodded, stepping away. 

Chan turned back to look at him, a playful smile on his lips. “So what’s this about being attracted to my voice?” 

“I’ll tell you when you translate the song you sang,” the older man retaliated. 

Chan barked a laugh, “Not a chance.” 

Woojin shoved his hands in his pockets and walked toward the door. “Suit yourself.” 

Chan didn’t move an inch, confused as to what Woojin’s intention was when he returned. He held one hand behind his back and closed the door with the other. 

“You know you didn’t lock it, right? I can escape if I want to.” Chan squinted his eyes in suspicion. 

Woojin slipped the CD into his computer and blocked the way to the door. “I’m well aware of that.” 

Chan suddenly found himself half-heartedly wrestling with his boyfriend, the other pushing him back. 

“You’re not putting up much of a fight. Do you really want to leave?” Woojin let go of his wrists. 

“If I were actually using my strength you’d be on the floor, Jinnie.” He let out a loud, drawn-out exhale. “Fine, you win. You get the producer’s commentary,” Chan tossed himself on the bed as he heard his own song start to play and sat with his back against the headboard, not even attempting to hide the smug look on his face when Woojin sat on his lap. 

“Shh, I can’t hear the music,” Woojin whispered. 

“Then what’s the point of keeping me here?” 

“So I can look at you- Oh!” Woojin’s eyes widened, “Nice falsetto; that was really pretty.” 

The man with curly hair rolled his eyes, hiding an embarrassed smile behind his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Thanks.” 

They spent half an hour exchanging praise and compliments until the playback ended, leaving Woojin smitten and Chan more or less impressed with himself. 

“I can’t believe you made all of that for me,” Woojin beamed, staring at the ceiling. 

Flat on his back now, Chan turned his head to face him. “Well, I couldn’t have done it without the song you wrote. Which, now that I think about it, was written about me, right?” He flashed a grin, throwing a leg over Woojin. “I didn’t forget the part about the dimples.” 

“You wrote me a whole mini-album and you want to talk about the one song I wrote?”

Chan hummed, brushing his lips against Woojin’s. “The one song I  _ know  _ of. Are there more?” 

“Maybe. There might be more in next year’s EP if you can wait that long,” he teased. 

“I can definitely wait that long,” Chan smiled into the kiss. 

He was glad his leave-the-CD-like-a-grenade-and-hide-in-his-bedroom plan didn’t work out how he had wanted it to. This, even Woojin would agree, was much better. He allowed himself to indulge in these short, blissful moments, setting his worries on the back burner. 

That was until the faint jingle of keys set them apart in a flash. Three pairs of footsteps padded down the hallway and around the apartment. “Woojin-hyung? Are you guys here?” 

They shared the same reluctant expression but left the room anyway, finding Changbin, Seungmin, and Jisung in the kitchen. All three of them had their jackets on and looked ready to head out. 

The redhead fumbled with the camera bag that hung at his hip. “We’re just letting you know we’re leaving in a few minutes. We should probably be back before midnight if we don’t stop for food on the way home.” 

Jisung gave them a look. “You guys don’t remember what today is, do you?” 

They shook their heads simultaneously. A feeling deep in the pit of Chan’s stomach told him they’d better prepare for a barrage of questions.

“Today’s the Day6 concert but I guess you had more pressing matters to think about, right?” Changbin grinned. “How are things? Did you talk yet?” 

“Yeah, we both agree there is definitely extraterrestrial life out there,” Woojin deadpanned. 

Jisung’s smile fell. “That’s- that’s great, but did you talk about anything else?” 

Chan snaked his hand into Woojin’s. “Not really. We did make out if that’s what you wanted to know.” 

Changbin and Jisung high-fived each other while Seungmin laughed nervously. “I think we’d better go, I’d hate to keep Jeongin waiting.” The redhead awkwardly ducked out of the conversation and the others followed suit. “We’ll be back later!” 

Chan pursed his lips as he watched them leave. “Was that too much?” 

“Nah,” Woojin shook his head, “He’s just being weird since I saw his first kiss this morning.” 

“Hyunjin, I’m assuming?” 

Woojin laughed softly. “Hyunjin’s mom saw, too.”

Chan winced. “Poor kid.” 

“He’ll be fine.” Woojin squeezed Chan’s hand. “Do you want to go see a movie? I think that was our excuse for not going to the concert.” 

“We can still see Day6 if you want; there are balcony seats available.” Chan fished his phone out of his pocket and let go of Woojin’s hand, fingers typing furiously. 

Woojin stared, uneasy. “Those tickets are too expensive, Chan.” 

The dimpled man waved him away. “I know a guy; I just have to let him know we’re coming.” 

“That’s reassuring,” Woojin scoffed. “It totally doesn’t sound shady at all.” He was being sarcastic but hopeful, his heart still racing at the prospect of seeing Day6 in person. “Just out of sheer curiosity, who is it?"

Chan had already dialed the guy’s number, raising his phone to his ear. “I know him as Brian but I can’t call him that in public.” He paused. “That doesn’t help, does it?” 

“Not really, unless it’s-”

“Hold that thought, he just picked up.” Chan pointed at the phone. “Brian! Hey, it’s super short notice, but I have a huge favor to ask…”

Woojin stared in awe as Chan seamlessly switched between Korean and English, his voice becoming more excited by the second. 

“...It’s just Woojin and me... We can come early… Just you or all five of you? Oh, thank god… You’ll love him, he’s great. And thanks again. We’ll see you after the show.” Chan hung up and turned to Woojin. “We have to get there soon for our seats and I’ll treat him to dinner afterward, but we’re all set.” 

“Seungmin’s going to kill me when he finds out I’m going out to dinner with Young K.” 

Chan bit his lip. “He won’t find out,” he assured, but his tone wasn’t very convincing. The curly-haired man pocketed his phone, walking back toward his own apartment. “I have to go get ready so meet me at mine when you’re done.”

“Chan-” 

“Don’t worry, you won’t be starstruck for very long; seeing Brian stuff his face with beef makes that go away  _ real quick. _ ” Chan laughed to himself. 

Woojin followed him to the doorway. “Can you wear your leather jacket?” 

“Why?” The dimpled man stepped out into the hall, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. 

“You look hot in it; I don’t know what you expected,” Woojin stole one last kiss and grinned before closing the door in his face. 

He stood in front of Woojin’s door for the second time that day, both occasions a product of vastly different circumstances. The first had been anxious and the second reassured, but Chan felt they could be simmered down to the exact same thing: both times he’d had his heart in his throat, a faint warmth in his chest, and the unequivocal notion that he adored Kim Woojin. 

Chan strolled down the hallway, the warmth in his chest still very much there. That feeling, he realized with a contented sigh, was something he could get used to. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

**Epilogue**

 

Chan was having a good day. 

It was a late afternoon and he walked under a canopy of trees with his hands tucked into his pockets, his leather backpack hanging from a strap on his shoulder. The midsummer humidity made his curls more unruly than usual, peeking out under his black cap. 

He’d just gotten back from a studio --a real,  _ professional _ studio-- he thought to himself, one that Young K had suggested he check out. The place was no more than thirty minutes away by bus, so it was close enough that he could go whenever he liked. He felt comfortable there, feeling more motivated than he had been in the past year. 

Chan couldn’t help but be grateful for Woojin, the catalyst who had started it all. 

Lost in thought, he reached the apartment complex faster than he had anticipated. He made his way into the inner courtyard and stopped, distracted by brightly colored scraps of thin rubber littering the ground underneath a balcony. Puddles of quickly evaporating liquid gave the only indication as to where the balloon remains had come from. 

He removed his cap and scratched his head, the trap dawning on him as he looked up only to be met with a faceful of water balloons. At least, he  _ thought _ it was water, but his sticky, sickly sweet skin indicated otherwise. He yelled at the culprits, both of which ducked back into an apartment. They thought they had been sly, but Chan knew the one damning fact that gave away their identity: 

He could still hear Minho’s bubbling laughter. 

Chan ran into the building drenched in orange juice, so impatient to get revenge that he couldn’t wait for the elevator. He dashed up the stairwell and onto his floor, nearly colliding into Woojin who had just come out of the laundry room. The dimpled man hadn’t noticed him, distraught as he was, until Woojin grabbed his arm and kept him there. 

“What’s going on? Where are you going?” The older man took his hand back when he felt the stickiness on Chan’s arm. “And why are you wet?” 

Chan took a moment to catch his breath before answering. “Minho and I don’t know who else- They dropped water balloons on me. Please hold me back before I kick their asses.” 

Woojin wrinkled his nose, hesitating, “Should I? I kind of want to see that, but if you want me to hold you back, I will.” He leaned in for a kiss, but couldn’t find a spot that hadn’t been covered in juice. Chan giggled while Woojin hovered over him like a hummingbird, finally deciding on a quick peck underneath his jaw. 

“I feel a bit better, thank you,” Chan exhaled, letting himself enjoy Woojin’s calming presence. 

It had been a while since they had last seen each other; their conflicting schedules made it difficult to meet despite living next door. They only intercepted each other’s paths early in the morning or late at night, and the inconsistent nature of their meetings was starting to take a toll on them. 

“I miss you.” 

The words tumbled from Chan’s lips, earnest and exhausted, and were met with Woojin’s equally tired smile. 

“I miss you, too. Are you doing anything tonight?” 

Chan grinned, “Not since the ass-kicking has been postponed.” 

Woojin picked up his laundry basket and held it against one hip, reaching for Chan’s wrist with his other hand. “Then I can steal you away for a few hours, yeah? Let’s get you cleaned up.”

They ran towards the Kims’ apartment like giddy children, Chan’s vengeful plan long forgotten.   
  


* * *

 

“This is your best idea yet, Jinnie. Oh, I wish we’d done this sooner,” Chan moaned as Woojin dug his fingers in his scalp, lathering shampoo in his hair. “When you said ‘Let’s get you cleaned up’ I didn’t think you’d take it upon yourself and actually  _ bathe  _ me. But are the swim trunks really necessary?” 

Woojin laughed, rinsing the suds out of Chan’s curls. “I’m only washing you from the waist up, everything waist down is yours to deal with. Honestly, you were just too sticky to kiss. Now move over, my legs are cramping.” 

Chan huffed but moved to give his boyfriend more space. The bathtub was definitely not big enough for both of them, but the water was hot enough, fortunately. It’s the little wins that count. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the warmth of the steam and Woojin’s chest against his back. Wait, he thought, didn’t he just move?

“I thought you told me to move over.” 

Woojin smiled sheepishly. “Yeah but this feels a lot better.” 

Chan pushed his hair out of his face and turned around, splashing water around due to the small space. “There’s gotta be a better position than that, my knees are cold.” He wrapped his arms around Woojin’s neck, leaning in.

His lips just about made contact with his boyfriend’s neck when the bathroom door creaked open and all three of them screamed. 

Hyunjin, with his hand still on the door handle, apologized profusely with his eyes shut while Chan muttered expletives under his breath. 

“I’M SORRY, I HAD TO GO PEE AND I FORGOT TO KNOCK. I’LL GO NEXT DOOR. I’M SO SORRY,” Hyunjin shouted and left as quickly as he came but his face was a hundred shades redder than before. 

Woojin almost laughed. He had been the one who left the door unlocked, after all. He wasn’t blameless. 

He looked at Chan and definitely laughed; he was just as red as Hyunjin. 

“I’m mortified, Woojin, my blood pressure dropped so fast I’m pretty sure I actually died for two seconds,” Chan blurted. “It’s not what he saw, it’s what he  _ thought  _ he saw that- Woojin, stop laughing, I’m serious.” 

The older man held his stomach while he tried to catch his breath. “He didn’t see anything since there was nothing to see. Don’t worry about it.” 

Chan grumbled but knew he was right. “Just come here, I’ll wash your hair.” 

They soon fell into a comfortable silence while Chan reciprocated Woojin’s actions, trying to be as gentle as his boyfriend had been. He had perhaps been  _ too _ gentle since Woojin started to doze off in his hands. As cute as he looked, the dimpled man decided it was time to get out of the tub. 

A single poke in Woojin’s ribs woke him quickly. 

“We’re still here?” 

“We should go-” Chan paused when he heard someone run into the apartment. He stayed quiet.

The walls were thin enough that they could hear Jisung’s frantic voice in the kitchen. 

_ “You have to hide me!”  _

_ “What’s in it for us?”  _

Woojin could tell that was Seungmin. 

_ “The guarantee that I’ll be safe.” _

_ “Not good enough.”  _

_ “I have officially pissed off Chan-hyung and Changbin-hyung. I can’t go home.” _

_ “No, dude, what did you do?”  _

That was definitely Hyunjin. 

_ “Minho-hyung and I dropped water balloons on Felix and them.” _

_ “That doesn’t sound so bad.” _

_ “It wasn’t water, it was orange juice.”  _

_ “Gross.”  _

_ “So can I stay?” _

_ “You have to talk to Woojin-hyung first.” _

_ “Fine, where is he?”  _

Chan and Woojin shared a look when they heard Seungmin’s smug grin in his voice. 

_ “In the bathroom. The door’s unlocked, he’s just cleaning it.”  _

“What do we do?” Chan hissed. 

“Turn off the lights and scare him?” 

Chan nodded, stepping out of the tub as quietly as possible. “Sounds good.” He flipped the switch and hid behind the door, making sure to open it slightly when Jisung’s footsteps came closer. 

“I’m in here,” Woojin called as innocently as he could. 

Jisung pushed the door open, apprehensive. “Why are you cleaning with the lights off- AHH”

Chan tackled him in a hug, his wet shorts instantly soaking the back of Jisung’s jeans, not to mention the rivulets from Chan’s hair soaking through his shirt. 

“Woojin-hyung, what the hell?” Jisung spluttered. 

The loud splashes across the room sent shivers down his spine. “That’s not me.” 

“Then who’s behind me?” The younger boy snaked an arm out of Chan’s grasp and turned on the lights, his knees giving out when Chan simply smiled in the mirror’s reflection. 

Jisung squeaked, “Is it too late to ask for forgiveness?” 

Chan pouted at him, nodding. “I’m afraid so, Sungie.” 

“Woojin-hyung, is there any chance you can get me out of this?” 

“I literally cleaned up the mess you made,” he gestured to Chan. 

“Then I’ll let fate run its course. Channie-hyung, what’s my punishment?” Jisung stood defeated, unfazed by his two shirtless hyungs. 

Chan thought for a moment. “You’ll do Changbin’s laundry for two weeks. And bring me some of my clothes so I can change.” 

* * *

 

 

“When I said clothes, I didn’t mean pajamas but I guess I’ll take what I can get,” Chan mumbled as he sat on the edge of Woojin’s bed, putting his socks on.

Woojin tossed him a towel before sitting next to him, leaning on Chan’s shoulder. “He must’ve assumed you were staying the night, which I hope you are.” 

“You’re enough of a reason to stay,” Chan leaned in for what seemed the third time that night, begging for no interruptions until his lips finally met Woojin’s. He relaxed into the kiss, grateful there hadn’t been any more intrusions. “There’s also banana bread in your kitchen, so that was another compelling reason.” 

Woojin shook his head endearingly. 

“Join me on the balcony?” 

The thick, humid air had cooled with the promise of rain and receding sun at twilight, leaving the rich midsummer night breeze they’d grown to love. There was something about that breeze that was so healing, carrying away meaningless, inconsequential worries and replacing them with hope and at the very least, the childlike contentment that comes with being alive. 

Chan and Woojin watched the darkening sky while they lay with their backs on the warm concrete, focused on the slowly reappearing stars.

The breeze picked up, sending scents of fresh jasmine and lavender toward the pair. 

Chan whispered, almost afraid to break the silence. “Did you really think the moon sang to you that night?” 

Woojin shrugged, his voice equally low. “It was like three in the morning. It could have been anything and I still would have been impressed. But that’s why you’re my moon: fair, effortlessly beautiful, and you keep me grounded.” 

The dimpled man intertwined their fingers. “How long did it take you to come up with that?” 

“About a month, I won’t lie. I did astronomical research but that’s completely unrelated.” Woojin kissed their joined hands. 

“If you could go back to a year ago, would you change anything? Would you do anything differently?” 

Woojin didn’t hesitate to say no. “I adored you then and I adore you now. There’s nothing to change. What about you?” 

Chan didn’t respond immediately, his emotions too overwhelming to form words. The same warmth from when they first met, from when he first heard him sing, from when they’d first kissed; it filled his chest and his stomach and the tips of his fingers. His heart was in his throat again. 

“Nothing’s changed, Woojin,” he grinned back. 

“I adore you, too.”  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! I bet you thought I wasn't coming back. It took me a long time to get here, but I sincerely hope you think the wait was worth it!! This fic is my baby and coincidentally it took me nine months to write, but anyway: 
> 
> Thank you so much for all your love and patience, your kudos and comments. You're the reason I started, kept going, and finished. Thank you for sharing this with your friends and recommending it in group chats and IG accounts (I lost my mind and cried when I saw screenshots I'm so so grateful). Thank you for not giving up on this fic, and even if you did, welcome back. <3 
> 
> I just want to mention some people since, without them, this probably would've still been stuck in my drafts: Thank u Mia, Ross, Liz, Owa, Jill, Ave, Sage, Marco, Shy, Sampriti, Hanni, Loasa, Maya, Nad, Lia, Jarely, Kris, Noemi, Dee, Luna, Rainy, Mae, Sofia, and every single person who has commented on any chapter and every chapter, ilysm this fic is for you!!! <333 
> 
> you can talk to me on twitter/tumblr @ wonpilsdimple and @ wonpilsdimples and tell me whether you would fistfight Jisung for dropping a juice balloon on you


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